New Mexico HB 86: VOTER EDUCATION AND ELECTIONS TASK FORCE

Bill Text

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HOUSE BILL 86
56TH LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - FIRST SESSION, 2023
INTRODUCED BY
William "Bill" R. Rehm
AN ACT
RELATING TO ELECTIONS; CREATING THE VOTER EDUCATION AND
ELECTIONS TASK FORCE TO STUDY, PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS AND
PROPOSE LEGISLATION TO IMPLEMENT BEST PRACTICES TO EDUCATE
VOTERS AND ENSURE THE ACCURACY AND INTEGRITY OF ELECTIONS
PROCESSES IN NEW MEXICO; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
SECTION 1. TEMPORARY PROVISION--VOTER EDUCATION AND
ELECTIONS TASK FORCE--CREATED--DUTIES--REPORTING.--
A. The "voter education and elections task force"
is created to study and provide recommendations on best
practices to educate the voters of New Mexico on electoral
procedures, voter registration and election safeguards. The
voter education and elections task force shall evaluate
opportunities for improvements to the electoral process to
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maximize voter accessibility and accurate voter rolls while
continuing to maintain efficient and secure elections. The
task force shall function from the date of its appointment
until December 31, 2023. Staff and administrative support for
the task force shall be jointly coordinated and provided by the
secretary of state and the New Mexico legislative council.
B. By April 20, 2023, the members of the voter
education and elections task force shall be appointed as
follows:
(1) six members who are legislators, with the
two political parties with the most members in the state being
represented in equal numbers, appointed as follows:
(a) three members of the house of
representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of
representatives; and
(b) three members of the senate
appointed by the senate committees' committee or, if the
legislature is not in session at the time of appointment,
appointed by the president pro tempore of the senate in
consultation with and agreement of a majority of the members
who served on the senate committees' committee during the first
session of the fifty-sixth legislature;
(2) the secretary of state or the secretary's
designee;
(3) the secretary of taxation and revenue, or
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a designee of the secretary who has oversight or knowledge of
data collection and system operations within the taxation and
revenue department;
(4) four public members, with the two
political parties with the most members in the state being
represented in equal numbers, who have expertise in elections,
campaigns and private sector organizational structure and
operations and who reflect the ethnic, cultural and geographic
diversity of the state, two appointed by the speaker of the
house and two appointed by the president pro tempore of the
senate; and
(5) four county clerks, with the two political
parties with the most members in the state being represented in
equal numbers, appointed by the county clerks affiliate of the
New Mexico association of counties.
C. One representative each from the state registrar
and the administrative office of the courts and one
representative of the county assessors, appointed by the
director of the property tax division of the taxation and
revenue department, shall serve as advisory members of the
voter education and elections task force, and the task force
shall invite the United States postal service in New Mexico to
appoint a representative to participate as an advisory member
of the task force.
D. Public members of the voter education and
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elections task force are entitled to receive per diem and
mileage pursuant to the Per Diem and Mileage Act but shall
receive no other compensation, perquisite or allowance.
E. The voter education and elections task force
shall be co-chaired by the secretary of state, or the
secretary's designee, and one of the legislator-appointed
members from the minority political party, elected by the
membership of the task force to serve as co-chair. The task
force shall meet at the call of a co-chair or at the request of
one-third of its membership, and as necessary to carry out its
duties, but no less than once and no more than twice a month.
The first meeting of the task force shall be held no later than
May 1, 2023, and the first meeting of the task force shall be
an organizational meeting for the task force to develop a work
plan to carry out the task force's duties.
F. A vacancy on the voter education and elections
task force shall be filled by the original appointing
authority. A member who misses three meetings shall be removed
from