Carlos Villanueva

Man charged for getting absentee ballots in deceased voters’ names

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A former legislative candidate is facing criminal charges for requesting absentee ballots in the names of recently-deceased voters. The charges against Carlos Villanueva, once a Democratic candidate for Senate, came down as a grand jury indictment Thursday from the Bernalillo County District Attorney. Villanueva faces eight charges in Second Judicial Court in Bernalillo, including three counts of unlawful absentee ballot application, three counts of unlawful possession of an absentee ballot and one count of perjury. The charges come from just ahead of the 2014 elections, between Oct. 23 and Nov.

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Republicans hope to pass Voter ID legislation

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Republicans have introduced legislation requiring photo identification to vote for years. Now with a majority in the House, Republicans hope this is the year that this legislation finally becomes law. From 2009 to 2013 Rep. Dianne Hamilton, R-Silver City, was behind the bills outlining voter ID requirements or penalties for voter fraud. In the past two years, the bills have also been sponsored by Reps. James Smith, R-Sandia Park, and Cathrynn Brown, R-Carlsbad.