ABQ residents set to choose their new mayor

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today in 53 voting centers

After hundreds of thousands of dollars raised, more than 50 debates, and countless hours spent by City Councilor Dan Lewis and state Auditor Tim Keller trying to appeal to Albuquerque residents, it’s now up to the voters to decide which one will be the best mayor.

Today is Election Day. Registered city voters can cast their ballots at any of 53 voting centers across the city, but must present a photo ID. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Keller, a Democrat, and Lewis, a Republican, were the top two vote-getters in the Oct. 3 mayoral election. Today’s runoff is required

because none of the eight mayoral candidates on the Oct. 3 ballot received 50 percent of the vote.

Also on today’s ballot is the District 5 City Council runoff between attorney Robert J. Aragon and retired planner Cynthia D. Borrego. Aragon is a Republican and Borrego is a Democrat.

This is the first time Albuquerque has had a mayoral runoff since 1993.

The city election is a nonpartisan election, but both candidates have strong support from their respective party’s voters, according to a Journal Poll published Sunday.

According to City Clerk Natalie Howard, more than 57,572 Albuquerque residents took advantage of early voting for today’s runoff, surpassing the early voting total for the Oct. 3 election by more than 16,000 votes. Another 2,801 registered voters had returned absentee ballots, according to data provided by Howard.

The new mayor takes the reins Dec. 1 from Mayor Richard Berry, who has served two terms and had said he would not seek a third one.