Strong turnout, especially in some southern NM counties, marks first week of early voting

SANTA FE — More than 50,000 New Mexicans voted during the first week of absentee and early voting, with Republicans outpacing Democrats so far in turnout rate.

Going into Tuesday, nearly 4.6% of registered Republicans had already voted in this year’s general election compared to about 4.2% of registered Democrats.

That voting trend bucks early turnout rates in other recent elections, said Brian Sanderoff, the president of Albuquerque-based Research & Polling Inc., which analyzes data released by Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver’s office.

In previous election years, Democrats have generally voted at a higher clip during early voting than Republicans, Sanderoff said.

However, more Democrats have voted overall than Republicans in New Mexico so far, with Democrats accounting for about 49.2% of all votes cast and Republicans accounting for roughly 38.9%.

That’s because Democrats entered this year’s election cycle with a significant edge in registered voters — roughly 43% of New Mexico’s more than 1.3 million voters are Democrats while about 31% are Republicans. The remaining voters are either affiliated with other political parties or have declined to state their party affiliation.

Meanwhile, several counties posted especially high turnout rates during the first week of absentee and early voting. They include Grant County, in southwest New Mexico, where 13.2% of Democrats and 12.2% of Republican voters had cast ballots.

In southern New Mexico, Sierra and Socorro counties also posted high turnout rates, with more than 12% of registered Democrats and Republicans alike having voted in Sierra County and nearly 13% of registered Republicans in Socorro County.

In addition to the presidential race between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump, hotly contested legislative races in those three counties could be fueling high turnout levels so far, Sanderoff said.

Overall, the 50,109 votes cast in New Mexico with three weeks left until Election Day are more than double the number cast at the same point in the 2022 general election — the most recent statewide election.

However, presidential election years — like this year — typically feature higher overall voter turnout, and this year’s contest has generated ample voter excitement and angst.

There was a steady but quick-moving line of voters Tuesday at the Santa Fe County Clerk’s Office, with several voters expressing relief at having exercised their civic duty.

“I’m glad we came early” in order to avoid the possibility of long lines on Election Day, said Gwen Wells of Santa Fe, who also said she was afraid of possibly forgetting to vote if she waited.

Expanded early voting will begin across New Mexico on Oct. 19 and runs through Nov. 2. A total of 20 early voting convenience centers will be open in Bernalillo County.

In addition, while the deadline for registering to vote online or via mail has already passed, eligible voters can still register and cast their ballots in person through Election Day.

All absentee ballots must also be returned by Election Day, which is Nov. 5.