(A) There is hereby established a Voter Assistance Program which shall be administered by the City Clerk. The responsibilities of the office of the City Clerk shall include: the planning and coordination of employee training and the distribution of voter registration affidavits to appropriate employees; overseeing the amendment of all intake forms as specified in division (E); developing and coordinating a system to insure that completed voter registration affidavits are submitted to the Bernalillo County Clerk; preparing a regular evaluation and progress report on the Voter Assistance Program including the number of new voter registered.
(B) City agencies which regularly come into face-to-face contact with the public, including, but not limited to the Library Department, the Parks and Recreation Department, the Personnel Services Department, the Public Works Department, the Transit/Parking Department, and the Human Services Department, shall be considered for inclusion in the Voter Assistance Program. The City Clerk shall specify which city agencies will participate in the Voter Assistance Program and how the program will operate within each of the agencies. The City Clerk shall explore the possibility of including agencies contracted to provide public services by the city Human Services Department in the Voter Assistance Program.
(C) During the hours and at the locations which the agencies are open to the public, specified employees of these agencies shall, as a part of their regular duties, assist persons in registering to vote by:
(1) Routinely asking persons using the agency if they want to register to vote;
(2) Providing those persons who want to register with voter registration affidavits;
(3) Assisting persons in completing voter registration affidavits and registering them to vote;
(4) Collecting completed affidavits and insuring their conveyance to the Bernalillo County Clerk's Office.
(D) Agency employees who are qualified electors and who participate in the Voter Assistance Program shall receive training from the Bernalillo County Clerk to be certified as Deputy Registration Officers and shall be certified as Deputy Registration Officers.
(E) All routine intake, application, and registration forms used by participating agencies shall be amended to include the following questions:
(1) Are you registered to vote where you now live?
Yes No .
(2) Would you like to register to vote?
Yes No .
(F) All agency employees shall maintain strict neutrality with respect to a person's political party affiliation. During all phases of the Voter Assistance Program, agency employees shall make it clear whenever necessary that the receipt of services does not depend in any way on whether a person is registered to vote or whether and how the person answers the questions in division (E).
(G) The City Clerk shall explore with the city Public Works Department the possibility of incorporating materials and advertisements in regular utility bills for the Voter Assistance Program, including appraising citizens of the many voter registration locations available.
(H) The City Clerk shall work with Bernalillo County officials to incorporate agencies into the Voter Assistance Program. Furthermore, the City Clerk shall explore joint voter registration programs with other private, public, and non-profit organizations such as the Albuquerque Public Schools, the University of New Mexico, and the League of Women Voters.
(I) City officials shall work with officials of the state of New Mexico to facilitate voter registration. These activities shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) Investigation of the following techniques to increase voter registration: mail-in registration, “motor” registration at the Motor Vehicle Division of the Taxation and Revenue Department, and the expansion of the city's Voter Assistance Program — as specified in divisions (C), (D), and (E) — to state agencies which come into face-to-face contact with the public.
(2) Exploration of the feasibility of “same day” registration and voting with the proper identification.
(3) Identification of administrative and legal barriers to voter registration and methods for eliminating them.
(Res. 50-1989, approved 4-14-89)