Hobbs, New Mexico, held an election on December 9, for the sole purpose of letting voters decide whether to require voters at the polls to show government photo-ID. It passed 78%-22%. See this story. The measure says the city will pay the costs of obtaining such ID for residents who don’t have it. The measure only impacts elections for city office.

The measure’s path to the Hobbs ballot was long and complicated. The city allows initiatives to change city ordinances, and proponents of photo-ID were told how many signatures they needed. They obtained those signatures, but then it was discovered that the measure could not be a legitimate ordinance, because it changed the city charter. Therefore, the petition was invalid. The city council then voted to put the measure on the ballot.

Hobbs is the county seat and largest town in Lea County, in southeast New Mexico.