STATE News:
SANTA FE – The New Mexico House of Representatives passed House Bill 174, a bill to consolidate all local elections to the same day.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Paul Bandy (R-San Juan) and Rep. Jim Smith (R-Bernalillo, Sandoval and Santa Fe) as well as Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto (D-Bernalillo).
House Bill 174, known as the Local Election Act, would create a uniform process for local elections and require that those elections be held on the first Tuesday following the first Monday of November in odd numbered years. It would apply to elections for:
- School Districts;
- Community College Districts;
- Special Hospital Districts;
- Water Conservation Districts; and
- Water and Sanitation Districts, among others.
The bill was developed to streamline the local election process and encourage voter turnout.
“Creating a uniform voting day will increase citizen participation in the democratic process,” said Bandy who presented the bill on the House floor. “It will improve awareness of the various local elections that are taking place and give voters greater say on the people, policies and taxes that affect them. I appreciate the House’s decision to send this bill to the Senate, and I look forward to the discussion there.”
House Bill 174 was approved by a vote of 38 to 29. It now moves to the Senate for consideration.
