New Mexico Committee reviews four bills on voter identification

[Wilms]

Committee reviews four bills on voter identification

By Walter Rubel/Current-Argus Santa Fe Bureau
Carlsbad Current-Argus
Feb 4, 2005, 04:14 am

SANTA FE — Recent problems in the Doña Ana County Clerk’s office were highlighted Thursday in a House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee hearing on voter identification bills.

The committee heard four separate bills, all introduced by Republican legislators. Each bill would require either a government-issued photo identification or some other proof of residence such as a utility bill, bank statement, government check or any other government document. Bills by Minority Whip Rep. Terry Marquardt, R-Alamogordo, and Minority Floor Leader Rep. Ted Hobbs, R-Albuquerque, also allow an identification issued by an American Indian tribe or pueblo.

The committee voted to temporarily table all four bills so that the sponsors can combine them into one bill, which Chairman Gail Beam, D-Albuquerque, said would then be passed along to the Voters and Elections Committee.

Kathryn Cooper, the office manager of the Doña Ana Republican Party, came armed with a lengthy list of irregularities and improprieties that she said have occurred in recent elections, which she said could have been prevented with voter ID.

<http://www.currentargus.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=601&num=11383>


Thanks to Dzika

[Andy_Stephenson]

1. Bad idea!

Why put more roadblocks in front of voters?

[proudbluestater]

2. They *do* have a Democratic (so-called) governor who could

veto this shit. But I bet he won't. He's a DLCer. Blocked every recount effort that came his way this past "selection."

As IF not ENOUGH people were disenfranchised, they want to disenfranchise just a few more and a few more and a few more.

It's all such a joke anymore. Why don't they just make a law that only Republicans can vote and be done with it? That's where we're headed anyway, isn't it? Only the Republican votes get counted properly anyway.

[LiberalFighter]

3. What did this Kathryn Cooper do under current procedures...

to correct the problems?

Were those problems found to be legitimate or made up?


Wertheim said the Democratic Party is not opposed to voter ID, but he wanted to ensure that it would not be used to intimidate voters. He added that voter fraud is a fourth-degree felony, and questioned why there had been no prosecutions.

If there were no prosecutions then why the problem?

One of the workers claims to have overheard another voter saying she was being paid $5 to vote. And he stated that he she was voting twice. What the hell did he do? Did he file a complaint? Did he challenge her?

[bush_is_wacko]

4. Oprah is a weeny! She only does puff pieces for her show and

her pet causes don't have shit to do with this country. Don't get me wrong, I think her causes are important. I just know she will never stray into an area that would get her blacklisted.

She knows she has the power to make things better for other countries, but she is somehow self-barred from addressing problems in this country. I don't think she'll suddenly have an epiphany and realize that politics here effect her "Angel network." She currently has the money and clout to go around politics at home and she knows she may not have that power if she decides to fight the system.