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Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Long Lines Snarl New Mexico Democratic Vote
By Heather Clark/
Associated Press
New Mexico Democrats turned out for their presidential caucus in greater numbers than predicted, causing long lines and surprising party officials, after both candidates made visits to the state only days before the voting.
The state party opened up 184 caucus sites beginning at noon Tuesday, but some voters waiting in lines for up to two hours complained that wasn't enough.
The polls closed at 7 p.m., but Democratic Party Chairman Brian Colon said people waiting in line at closing time would still be able to vote.
"The turnout's off the charts," Colon said at state Democratic Party headquarters in Albuquerque. "We're just thrilled and overwhelmed with the turnout. I think we're going to have people in line for the next couple of hours."
New Mexico was among 22 states holding Democratic nominating contests on Super Tuesday. On a chilly afternoon, there were signs that turnout, once predicted to be fairly low, would exceed those early expectations.
Before Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama both visited the state in the days leading up to the caucus, Colon had estimated 30,000 to 40,000 voters would turn out for the party-run caucus. That compares with about 105,000 votes cast in the state's first caucus in 2004.
A poll worker in Bernalillo said that site ran out of provisional ballots, causing long waits. He said volunteers were bringing more provisionals and they were making copies.
A handful of people approaching the Bernalillo poll left when they saw the long lines.
Some polling sites in Albuquerque also ran out of ballots Tuesday afternoon. The manager of one of those caucus sites, Nancy Phillips, said she was pleased by the turnout, "but obviously we're not prepared."
Colon called the turnout "very exciting," but acknowledged, "We certainly had to supply additional materials to polls around the state."
Laura E. Sanchez, the party's executive director in New Mexico, said: "We have seen just an incredible amount of excitement in people calling" party headquarters in Albuquerque.
One polling site had to be relocated in Chama, which received more than 33 inches of snow since Saturday. The site was moved from Chama Elementary School across the street to Chama Middle School because so much ice and snow had banked up against the elementary school that it wasn't safe for people to walk there, Sanchez said.
In polling places in Bernalillo and on Albuquerque's west side, hundreds of people waited for 45 minutes to two hours to cast their votes.
Monica Fresquez of Bernalillo voted with her 87-year-old mother, Martha. Monica Fresquez attributed their two-hour wait to very disorganized volunteers working the polls.
"They should have opened at 7 o'clock this morning. There are hundreds of people in line. This is ridiculous," she said.
In the days leading up to Tuesday, both campaigns made aggressive efforts to attract votes, with both Obama and Clinton visiting the state and sending in key supporters for rallies.
On Monday, Michelle Obama stumped for her husband at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, while Clinton simulcast a town hall event from New York; in Albuquerque, 125 people braved a winter storm to gather at the National Hispanic Cultural Center for the event.
One high-profile New Mexico Democrat gave no hint as to how he marked his ballot.
"Just going to keep that to myself. They're both great candidates," Gov. Bill Richardson said while standing in line to cast his ballot at a community complex north of downtown Santa Fe. Both Clinton and Obama have sought Richardson's endorsement since he dropped his presidential bid Jan. 10.
Among the Albuquerque voters was Linda Loya, who said she decided a few weeks ago to vote for Obama.
"I think this country is in really big trouble ... maybe we'll get somebody new in there," said Loya, 60. "Maybe he's not corrupted yet."
Rosella Martinez, 70, said she voted for Clinton.
"We need a woman in there and she knows what she's doing. She'll do well. She's got the experience, she's smart, she's been a go-getter," Martinez said.
Copyright ©2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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