There are many ways to vote in New Mexico this election season. If you’ve requested an absentee ballot, you can return it by mail or in person. And if you’re not yet registered, or need to update your voter registration, you can still do that in person with same-day registration at many voting locations through the end of October.
Last year, New Mexicans got the option to register and cast a ballot on the same day throughout the early voting period. To do that, Bernalillo County Clerk Linda Stover said folks will need to bring a photo ID. If it’s not a New Mexico driver's license or state ID card, then they’ll also need to bring a document that shows their name and current address."They can bring a utility bill or anything, a rent receipt, something that proves they live within Bernalillo County," Stover said.Since early voting started last Saturday, Stover said several hundred voters have taken advantage of same-day registration. That option is only good through Oct. 31.
Only seven of the eighteen early voting sites in Bernalillo County are offering same-day registration due of COVID-19 restrictions.
If you’re using an absentee ballot, the Secretary of State’s office recommends mailing it by Oct. 27, but Stover said you can also deliver it to any polling station all the way through Halloween or on Election Day.
“If you let the poll official at the door know that you’re there with [an absentee] ballot, they will expedite you to the front of the line so you can drop it off and leave,” she said.If you’ve asked for an absentee ballot but didn’t return it, you can still go and vote in-person. With your signature, poll workers can cancel your old ballot and issue a new one on the spot.
Because misinformation about the election abounds on social media, a Bernalillo County spokesperson said countyand state election websites are the best places to get trustworthy voting information.
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