New Mexico Regulations § 1.10.19.9 SECURED CONTAINER SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

A. A county clerk shall request approval from the secretary of state prior to installation of a secured container to ensure it meets minimum security requirements. The secretary of state shall respond to such requests within 14 days.

B. A secured container shall be permanently bolted to the ground in accordance with the instructions provided by the container manufacturer. A secured container shall be constructed of weather-resistant metal and capable of securely receiving and holding voted mailed ballots. A secured container shall have network accessibility and shall have installed heat, humidity and motion sensors.

C. A secured container and monitoring network hardware shall be secured and locked at all times. Only the county clerk or deputy county clerk, election board member or appointed messenger shall have access to the keys or combination of the lock. The county clerk shall maintain a key control log on a form prescribed by the secretary of state to document the utilization of and to account for secured container keys. All keys issued by the secretary of state shall be controlled, accounted for, and not easily accessible. Upon the election or appointment of a new county clerk and after each U.S. presidential election, lock combinations shall be changed and documented on a form prescribed by the secretary of state. All forms utilized pursuant to this section shall be retained by the county clerk as a record related to voting pursuant to Subsection G of Section 1-12-69 NMSA 1978.

D. In addition to locks, all secured containers shall be sealed with one or more tamper-evident seals while in use. Lock combinations shall be changed when a new clerk is appointed or elected and after each U.S. presidential election. Combination lock changes shall be documented by the county clerk.

E. Secured containers shall be installed in a lighted area and monitored by a centralized video surveillance camera system provided by the secretary of state. The video surveillance system shall otherwise be monitored and controlled by the county clerk through a video surveillance dashboard. The county clerk shall immediately review video surveillance footage upon receiving a report of an irregular or illegal incident or upon receipt of a sensor alert and:

F. The county clerk shall contact the secretary of state's office with security or operational concerns immediately upon discovery.

G. When secured containers are not in use and immediately after 7:00 P.M. on election day as is practical, the county clerk shall install the slot closer on the secured container to prevent access. Covers may also be placed over the secured container to protect the container when not in use.