A. The secretary of state shall prepare and furnish to each county:

(1) sufficient forms, blanks, records, files or other equipment deemed necessary by him for the registration of voters, including suitable instructions concerning their use for each registration officer;

(2) printed forms of additional election certificates; and

(3) instructions to voters which shall set forth in nontechnical language the manner in which voters cast their ballots.

B. All registration or voting notices, forms, instructions, assistance or other information relating to the electoral process shall be printed in both English and Spanish.

C. Where a minority language is historically unwritten, all proclamations, registration or voting notices, instructions, assistance or other information relating to the electoral process shall be made available orally in the respective minority language, through the media when practicable, in public meetings and on election day at the polls.

History: 1953 Comp., § 3-2-3, enacted by Laws 1969, ch. 240, § 24; 1975, ch. 255, § 9; 1977, ch. 124, § 1.

Cross references. — For secretary of state prescribing identification badges for precinct board members and challengers, see 1-2-18 and 1-2-24 NMSA 1978.

For secretary prescribing form of affidavit of registration under Voter Records System Act, see 1-5-19 NMSA 1978.

For the secretary prescribing the form of the application for absentee ballot, see 1-6-4 NMSA 1978.

For order on ballots of offices to be voted on, see 1-10-3 and 1-10-8 NMSA 1978.

For secretary prescribing the form of tally sheets and signature rosters, see 1-11-15 NMSA 1978.

For secretary prescribing form of signature roster certificates and precinct board member's oath, see 1-11-16 NMSA 1978.

For secretary prescribing form for proposed constitutional amendments, see 1-16-7 NMSA 1978.

Duty of secretary of state is limited to furnishing of supplies to the various counties according to the demand of each county. The secretary of state has no duty to register, or cause to be registered, any voter. This is the duty of the registration officers of the individual counties. The affidavits of registration as well as other voting supplies are paid for by the state. There is no provision under which the various county clerks or registration officials can obtain affidavits of registration from any other source. 1959 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 59-169 (opinion rendered under former law).