New Mexico adopts election-day voter registration

New Mexico will extend voter registration through Election Day beginning in 2020 under a new law that does away with a 28-day registration blackout before elections.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Wednesday signed legislation designed to increase participation in statewide elections though same-day registration and voting.

Seventeen other states and the District of Columbia already offer same-day registration and have generally seen increased participation as a result.

Voters in New Mexico cannot switch parties on the same day that they vote under the reforms.

Democratic Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver has pushed for the changes as a way to make voting more accessible and convenient.

Republican legislators opposed the bill and voiced concerns about safeguards for voter rolls and the future consequences of spur-of-the-moment voting.

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