Governor reveals vote ID package

By Shea Andersen
Albuquerque Tribune Reporter
February 15, 2005

SANTA FE - The dam on voter identification might be ready to burst onto the floor in the Roundhouse.

Late Monday, a draft of a bill that has Gov. Bill Richardson's support was handed out to reporters. Draft revisions continued overnight.

This morning, Amanda Cooper, director of Richardson's political office, said the newest draft measure would require voters to present photo identification at the polls or, alternatively, the voter's name, date of birth and last four Social Security number digits.

Voters currently are required to present identification only when they register for the first time in the state, not at the polls when they vote.

The bill also includes $1.5 million to help the state pay for voting machines that provide a paper trail for every vote cast.

Other items include:

An allowance for provisional ballots to be qualified even if a middle initial or address does not exactly match a registration filing.

Provisional ballots would only be valid when cast in the voter's home precinct.

A recount must be fully paid for out front; the current law specifies a 10 percent deposit on the costs.

"This package will deal with uniform standards, voter identification, a verifiable and auditable paper trail, and uniform training for all election workers," Gilbert Gallegos, a spokesman for Richardson, said Monday.

"The governor believes it is critical to deal with these issues during the session."

The bill, once completed, will come just in the nick of time on an issue that was certain to stir debate: Thursday is the deadline to introduce bills in the 60-day session, which is approaching its halfway mark.

The draft comes on the heels of acrimonious debate, but little legislative progress, on the concept of voter identification.

In an interview last month, Richardson, a Democrat, acknowledged he wanted a bill on election reform to include voter identification requirements - an issue that is a high priority for Republicans - but that he wanted broad consultation on the matter.

Eli Lee, president of the political consulting firm Soltari Inc. of Albuquerque, confirmed today he is working for Richardson on drafting the measure.

As drafted, the ID requirement in the governor's proposed measure differs from that proposed even by some in his party.

Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, an Albuquerque Democrat and sponsor of Senate Bill 718, which also covers election reform, said today his bill requires photo identification but stops at allowing voters to use their Social Security number as an identifier.

"We didn't go that far," Ortiz y Pino said. "We wanted an ID that could be a protection against some kind of fraud."

As of this morning, Richardson's bill had no sponsor.

Both Ortiz y Pino's and another bill by Sen. Dianna Duran, a Tularosa Republican, will be heard Wednesday morning in the Senate Rule Committee, which meets at 8 a.m. in the Capitol.

"This is a very simple bill concerning the issue of voter ID," Duran said. "We want to ensure that the people who appear at the polls to vote are the people they say they are."

Duran's bill, Senate Bill 40, allows voters to use a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document, including identification issued by an Indian nation, tribe or pueblo. The identification must match the names and address of the voter as indicated on the signature roster.

As drafted, Richardson's bill is close to measures introduced by Rep. Justine Fox-Young, an Albuquerque Republican. As she flipped through the draft's pages Monday night, Fox-Young said there was a lot of familiar material.

"I think we're on the right track, as long as we do it during the session," Fox-Young said. "I'd like to see real reform from the Governor's Office and the secretary of state this session. I'll support any efforts to legislate on these issues now."