New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson must make a decision to sign or veto the legislation by midnight tonight.
"New Mexicans, three to one, tell the guv to sign death penalty repeal," is Trip Jennings report in the New Mexico Independent.
Gov. Bill Richardson has received more than 9,400 calls, e-mails and walk-ins on legislation to repeal the death penalty and replace it with life without parole, his office said Tuesday.
Of 9,413 constituents who voiced their opinion on HB 285, 7,169 were for repeal compared to 2,244 against, a news release from the governor’s office said.
Richardson has until midnight Wednesday to decide whether to sign or veto the legislation.
Richardson asked the public to weigh in on whether he should sign the legislation after the New Mexico Senate voted 24-18 to end capital punishment after hours of wide-ranging debate on Friday.
The Clovis News Journal carries, "Death penalty repeal has favorable callers," by Steve Terrell.
People who have contacted the New Mexico Governor’s Office about the death penalty since Friday have supported repealing capital punishment by better than a 3-to-1 margin, according to a statement from the governor’s office on Tuesday.
Gov. Bill Richardson has until midnight today to act on a bill that would repeal the death penalty and replace it with a sentence of life-in-prison without parole.
If he signs it, New Mexico would become one of 15 states where laws no longer provide for executions.
After the Legislature passed House Bill 285, Richardson set up a telephone hotline and also asked New Mexicans to e-mail him with their thoughts on the death penalty.
According to spokesman Gilbert Gallegos, Richardson as of Tuesday had heard from a total of 9,413 people, including those who came personally to his office at the Capitol. Of those, 7,169 wanted him to sign the bill, while 2,244 wanted a veto.
“The vast majority are from New Mexico,” Gallegos said when asked about the respondents.
Earlier coverage form New Mexico begins with this post.
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