Voting rights bills pass in New Mexico and Texas.
A voting rights bill that would expand voting access in New Mexico, including restoring the rights of felons to vote upon release from incarceration, is headed to Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to sign after final passage from the state legislature this week. The bill would allow ex-felons to vote and register to vote upon release from incarceration and would also allow for New Mexicans to become registered to vote through automatic voter registration at the Department of Motor Vehicles or other state or local public offices designated by the secretary of state. The bill would also protect polling place access and against other election issues involving voters who live on Indian Nation, Tribal and Pueblo Land to make it easier to vote for Native Americans in the state.