CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY FOURTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. O-21-61 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Klarissa J. Peña and Isaac Benton, by request
ORDINANCE
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Amending The City Of Albuquerque Charter, Article XIII; Repealing Voter ID Requirements For Municipal Elections (Peña and Benton, by request)
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WHEREAS, on July 1, 2018, the Local Election Act went into effect as Chapter 1, Article 22, NMSA 1978 establishing the Regular Local Election, a consolidated election day for non-partisan local government bodies, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of each off-numbered year; and
WHEREAS, the Local Election Act does not require a photo identification of the voter in order to cast a vote in a Regular Local Election per Section 1-1-24 NMSA 1978; and
WHEREAS, the Administration directed the City Clerk to transmit legislation to the Albuquerque City Council to opt into the Local Election Act, rendering the City of Albuquerque’s Voter ID requirement unnecessary; and
WHEREAS, on November 19, 2019 the Albuquerque City Council approved, by a unanimous vote, O-18-39 to opt-in to the Local Election Act to hold the City of Albuquerque Regular Local Election in accordance with the Local Election Act; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor signed the legislation on December 5, 2018, opting into the Local Action Act.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
SECTION 1. The City hereby repeals Article XIII, Section 14 of the City Charter in its entirety.
SECTION 2. SEVERABILITY CLAUSE. If any section, paragraph, word or phrase of this ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid, or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of this ordinance. The Council hereby declares that it would have passed this ordinance and each section, paragraph, sentence, clause, word or phrase thereof irrespective of any provision being declared unconstitutional or otherwise invalid.
SECTION 3. COMPILATION. Section 1 of this ordinance shall amend, be incorporated in and made part of the Albuquerque City Charter.
SECTION 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. This ordinance shall take effect ten days following publication by title and general summary.