Oct. 6 – With a closely contested presidential race at the top of the ballot, Santa Fe County officials are expecting a large turnout for the Nov. 5 general election – and are preparing to ensure a smooth process as early voting closes Tuesday starts.
“Overall, we expect primary turnout to be nearly three times as high,” said Mitchell Steven Cox, voter coordinator for the County Clerk’s Office.
He said the office estimates turnout between 25,000 and 30,000 for early voting, and about the same number on Election Day, with about 20,000 absentee ballots. Total expected attendance is about 80,000 people, Cox said.
Data shows that more than 82,000 provincial voters cast ballots in the 2020 presidential election, representing more than 76% of the nearly 108,000 eligible voters. That number rose to more than 112,000 in September, according to New Mexico’s secretary of state.
Voters can begin casting their ballots Tuesday at the County Clerk’s Office, 240 Grant Ave., with expanded early voting starting Oct. 19 at nine locations across the county. Tuesday is also the last day to register to vote online and the day the first round of absentee ballots are sent to voters.
Voters can still register before voting in person, during early voting and on Election Day.
With concerns about election misinformation circulating on social media running high, the County Clerk’s Office is doing everything it can to keep the facts at the forefront.
“Our main focus is on targeting and preventing misinformation from spreading online, such as on Facebook and TikTok and other social media,” Cox said. He added: “We are running a much more robust advertising campaign this time around when it comes to voting.”
One tool that will be especially useful on Election Day is a feature on the registrar’s website that allows you to see wait times at certain polling places.
Some election offices across the U.S. have struggled to find polling places since the pandemic, but Cox said Santa Fe County is not one of them: “Across the country you hear about shortages of polling places, but we certainly have a surplus of people who are interested, especially this year.”
What’s on the ballot?
While most local elections for county voters were decided during June’s Democratic primaries, a battle between Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump is expected to be a draw for local voters. A handful of polls show Harris leading the state by 5 to 10 points.
This year also features a U.S. Senate race pitting Democratic incumbent Martin Heinrich against Republican challenger Nella Domenici, whose father, Pete Domenici, served in the Senate for 36 years. Opinion polls have Heinrich about 10 points ahead.
Democratic U.S. Reps. Melanie Stansbury in the 1st Congressional District and Teresa Leger Fernández in the 3rd Congressional District are considered front-runners with comfortable leads.
There will be a lot of focus on the 2nd Congressional District, however, as Democratic Rep. Gabe Vasquez fights to keep his seat in a competitive rematch with Yvette Herrell, a former congresswoman who wants the seat back. The swing district has seen House Speaker Mike Johnson run for Herrell in Las Cruces and received national media attention.
“As we all know based on past and recent election results, the 2nd District will once again be one of the most closely contested contests in the country,” said Daniel Garcia, a spokesman for the Democratic Party of New Mexico. “But we are very optimistic because we have a great candidate who has done great work for New Mexico and will protect abortion rights.”
The Republicans are determined to take back the seat.
“People really want change and are really willing to work hard for it,” said Leticia Muñoz-Kaminski, northern executive director of the Republican Party of New Mexico.
She cited the high stakes for Republicans in New Mexico on Nov. 5, with a chance to flip at least one of the state’s congressional seats red.
“New Mexico voters are being suppressed. They don’t have any representation in DC,” she said.
All 112 legislative seats in New Mexico are on the ballot this year, but only 48 are contested, and many of those will be in solidly red or blue districts that are not considered competitive.
Still, there are several major competitions statewide.
“Our progress could be jeopardized if we lag for even a second in these legislative races,” Garcia said, pointing to the majorities Democrats hold in both chambers of the Roundhouse.
Taking the mood out
Organizations are working to spread the word in New Mexico to help increase turnout.
Field Team 6, an organization hoping to reach Democrats, has contracted with six Native American artists to create original art postcards to direct people to a site where they can easily learn about the election and register to vote. votes, according to a recent press release.
“These beautiful cards are being sent to people to encourage them to vote in the upcoming election,” Dale Roy Robinson said in a statement. “Because they are so beautiful, we know people will read what’s on the other side, and hopefully keep the postcard as a memento of the action they took: registering to vote.”
Garcia said Democrats have a “huge statewide volunteer program” with “teams of organizers on the ground in communities around the world talking to voters and recruiting volunteers.”
Muñoz-Kaminski, the Republican Party, is united and working to win votes in a crucial election year.
“I think the biggest new thing this year, and this started last year, is expanding the base of the Republican Party,” she said. “Many of the grassroots organizations have always been a bit isolated and did things on their own. Last year, as we reorganized our party in several counties and at the state level, the base of the Republican Party now consists of many of those grassroots organizations.”
