Former inmates with felony convictions can register to vote under new provisions in New Mexico

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — More that 730 people so far have registered to vote under the new voting provisions concerning felony convictions, according to the New Mexico secretary of state’s office.

District Judge Kathleen McGarry Ellenwood has ordered that steps be taken to ensure former inmates eligible to vote under a law last year can do so.

The law that took effect in July 2023 restored voting rights to about 11,000 people in New Mexico who previously served prison time for felony convictions.

It allows people to vote after they are released from custody, including those who are on probation or who have been granted parole.

But a lawsuit recently filed in Santa Fe by a group that advocates for people who are incarcerated or used to be claims that some applicants seeking to have their voting rights restored have received rejection letters from county clerks relying on inaccurate or outdated information from the secretary of state’s office and the New Mexico Corrections Department, the Albuquerque Journal reported.

Ellenwood’s order requires Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver to provide updated voter registration forms.

Oliver also must work with the state’s 33 county clerks to determine whether people who attempted to register to vote since July 2023 but were rejected should be added to the state’s voter rolls, the Santa Fe New Mexican said.