On March 30, New Mexico Governor and Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham signed one of the worst election bills in the U.S. country into law. The bill, dubbed the “New Mexico Voting Rights Act,” is a massive expansion of Democrat-backed election policies that blue states across the nation are intent on ramming through state legislatures.
As my colleague Shawn Fleetwood noted, such a strat is the result of congressional Democrats’ failure to pass HR 1, a measure that would cement Democrats’ radical election policies into law and federalize state elections. Because HR 1 died in the Senate in 2021, Democrats have decided the best way for them to change the country’s election laws is to implement them state-by-state. And New Mexico, where Democrats enjoy unified control of the state government, is an optimal place for them to start.
Here’s a brief overview of what the bill does.
Automatic Voter Registration
Starting in 2025, New Mexico residents who apply for a driver’s license will automatically be registered to vote, as well as in other public agencies “designated by the Secretary of State.” Such a move is reminiscent of Biden’s executive order federalizing elections, which turned federal agencies, especially those that dole out federal benefits, into voter registration centers. There are serious ethical concerns with tying federal or state benefits to election activity. As Federalist Editor-in-Chief Mollie Hemingway noted, “Federal agencies that interact with the public by doling out benefits can easily pressure recipients to vote for particular candidates and positions.” This same
