Duties of county clerk; acceptance of registration; close of

registration; late registration. Except for qualified electors who register to vote or update a certificate of registration at a voting location prior to voting pursuant to Section 1-4-5.7 NMSA 1978, for qualified electors seeking to register to vote or update an existing voter registration in the state, the following provisions shall apply: A. to participate in an election, the deadline to register to vote or update an existing voter registration is twenty-eight days prior to that election; B. the county clerk shall receive certificates of registration at all times during normal working hours, except that the clerk shall not process any certificate of registration subscribed and sworn beginning the first business day after the deadline to register to vote or update an existing voter registration before an election if the residential address on the certificate of registration indicates that the registration is for a: (1) statewide election, within the county; or (2) special election, within any precinct in the county in which votes may be cast in the special election; C. between the deadline to register to vote or update an existing voter registration through the day of the election, the county clerk shall process all: (1) new voter registrations that meet the requirements of this section; (2) updates to existing voter registrations in this state that meet the requirements of this section; provided that an update to an existing registration in this state shall not be processed if the voter has requested or been sent a ballot in the election, unless the voter executes an affidavit stating that the voter has not and will not vote the ballot that was issued and the ballot register does not show that a ballot from the voter has been cast in the election; and (3) pending cancellations of existing voter registrations in this state through the day of the election; provided that a cancellation of an existing voter registration shall not be processed if the voter has requested or been sent a ballot in the election; D. certificates of registration and cancellations of existing voter registrations not processed pursuant to Subsection B or C of this section may be processed beginning the Monday following an election and shall be processed beginning no later than the first business day after the approval of the county canvass report for that election, at which time a voter information document shall be mailed to the registrant at the address shown on the certificate of registration; provided that if there is a subsequent election scheduled at which a qualified elector or voter would be eligible to vote if the certificate of registration were processed on an earlier date, the certificate of registration for that qualified elector or voter shall be processed by the county clerk on a day and in a manner to ensure the ability of the qualified elector or voter to vote in the subsequent election; E. when the deadline to register to vote or update an existing voter registration prior to an election referred to in this section is a Saturday, Sunday or state holiday, registration certificates shall be accepted through the next succeeding business day for the office of the county clerk; and F. the county clerk shall accept for filing and process any certificate of registration that is subscribed and dated on or before the deadline to register to vote or update an existing voter registration prior to an election and: (1) received by the county clerk by the end of the last regular business day of the week for the office of the county clerk immediately following the deadline to register to vote or update an existing voter registration prior to an election; (2) mailed and postmarked on or before the day of the deadline to register to vote or update an existing voter registration prior to any election referred to in this section; or (3) accepted at a state agency designated pursuant to Section 1-4-5.2 NMSA 1978.