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Committee backs bill allowing commissioned officers to carry at polling places in some counties
Summary
The committee approved a due-pass recommendation for House Bill 101, which would create an exception allowing commissioned law enforcement officers to carry firearms at polling places when performing official duties, a change sponsors said would help rural counties with staffing and ballot transport duties.
House Bill 101, which creates an exception to polling-place firearm restrictions for commissioned law enforcement officers, received a due-pass recommendation from the Judiciary Committee.
Representative Reeb introduced the measure and said the change is aimed at rural counties where staffing is thin and commissioned officers—those in field training or performing transport duties—need to respond to incidents at or near polling locations. “In our small communities…it's becoming a problem,” Reeb said, describing situations in which a field training officer must leave a trainee behind to respond to a polling-place call or where county staff who assist election clerks cannot enter their offices because of the restriction.
Sheriff Michael Brockett of Curry County described the county as large and rural, said his department is “constantly full on trying to get our numbers back up,” and explained that trainee officers are commissioned but not yet certified; under current law, he said, they cannot enter some polling places in an armed capacity while training. Christopher Williams, chief of police in Portales and vice president of the New Mexico Chiefs Association, said the association strongly supports the bill because some training facilities and municipal buildings that serve as polling locations would be affected by a strict prohibition.
Proponents framed the bill as an operational fix for staffing and logistics during elections, not a change to underlying firearm policy. The committee recorded a motion for a due-pass recommendation; committee members voted and the chair announced a due pass with a 9-0 vote on the measure as recorded in the transcript.
Votes at a glance: motion for a due pass (mover not specified in the transcript); committee announced passage by a 9-0 roll call vote.
The bill will proceed to the next legislative steps for further consideration and any floor amendments.
