House panel shelves proposal to require voter ID

Posted at: 02/17/2011 11:37 AM
By: Barry Massey, The Associated Press

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - A House committee has scuttled a proposal that would require voters to show identification at the polls in New Mexico.

The Voters and Elections Committee voted 7-6 along party lines on Thursday to table the voter identification measure by Rep. Dianne Hamilton, a Silver City Republican.

The vote bottles up the measure in the committee, mostly likely dooming it for the session.

Democrats on the committee were united in opposition to the measure while Republicans favored the proposed identification requirement.

Hamilton said that requiring voters to show photo identification will provide more integrity in state elections.

Opponents said the identification requirement could discourage the elderly and minorities from voting.

Voter identification measures have failed repeatedly in the past in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

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