Associated Press: Congress seeks input on election reform in New Mexico

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s top elections regulator and voting rights advocates described efforts to combat disinformation and intimidation at the polls and ensure voting access for minority groups, as Democrats on a congressional subcommittee gathered testimony Monday to inform their work on election initiatives.

The field hearing led by Democratic U.S. Rep G. K. Butterfield of North Carolina highlighted New Mexico as a leader in efforts to expand voter access and as a counterpoint to a wave of restrictive new voting laws in Republican-led states, many of which were inspired by former President Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen 2020 election.

New Mexico’s two Democratic congresswomen — Reps. Teresa Leger Fernandez and Melanie Stansbury — attended the hearing and called for changes to Senate filibuster rules that have been instrumental in blocking voting rights legislation in Washington. …

Heather Ferguson of the progressive watchdog group Common Cause New Mexico said New Mexico stands out as a “beacon of light” against states proposing to restrict voting access. She also called attention to vehicle caravans in recent elections that block or intimidate voters at polling locations.