Special election mail-in ballots on the way to voters

Albuquerque voters this week are receiving their mail-in ballots for the special election on whether to change the city’s runoff-election requirements.

City Clerk Amy Bailey said the ballots are being mailed to registered voters in waves, and that anyone who doesn’t receive one by Tuesday should call her office.

The ballot has only one question: whether to change the city’s rules for runoff elections. If voters approve, the city would be required to hold a second election — a “runoff” — anytime a candidate fails to win 50 percent in the initial round of voting. Under the current system, the candidate with the most votes wins outright if he or she has at least 40 percent of the vote.

Albuquerque elections are nonpartisan, so there are no primary elections to narrow the field.

Voters who want to participate must get their ballot to Bailey’s office by 7 p.m. March 11. She prefers voters use blue or black ink to mark the ballots.

Voters must affix a stamp, which costs 46 cents, to mail the ballot, Bailey said.

She encourages voters to make sure they take everything out of the envelope and follow the instructions. Don’t forget to sign the oath on the back of the mailing envelope before sending your ballot back.

The proposal is the result of a petition drive by union groups and others who say they want to ensure that like-minded candidates don’t split the vote, allowing someone else with minority views to squeak into office.

Opponents, however, say the 40 percent threshold already prevents fringe candidates from taking office and that runoff elections are costly.
— This article appeared on page C1 of the Albuquerque Journal