Early voting expands across metro area
20 locations open in Bernalillo County
Voting for Albuquerque’s mayor, school board members and the $50 million city stadium bond has become a little more convenient.
Saturday marked the start of widespread early voting at 20 locations across Bernalillo County, including strip malls, community centers and the University of New Mexico.
Most sites will continue offering early voting Monday-Saturday through Oct. 30.
The election will decide the Albuquerque mayor’s race, five Albuquerque City Council seats, the $50 million stadium bond issue and $140 million worth of general obligation bonds for city infrastructure.
The ballot also includes races and questions from other public entities, including Albuquerque Public Schools, Central New Mexico Community College and the Ciudad Soil & Water Conservation District.
In-person voting began on a small-scale on Oct. 5 at the Bernalillo County Clerk’s Annex, and 811 people had participated as of Friday, a Clerk’s Office spokeswoman said.
Absentee voting is also underway. The clerk had sent out 12,832 absentee ballots as of Friday. Voters have returned 1,649. Voters who want an absentee ballot have through Oct. 28 to submit an application. More information is available online at berncovotes.org.
Election Day is Nov. 2. For city of Albuquerque races, Nov. 2 may not be the end of election season. Mayoral and City Council candidates must get at least 50% of the vote to win. In races in which no candidate reaches that threshold — and several contests, including the mayor’s race, have at least three candidates — the top two will proceed to a runoff. The runoff, if necessary, is scheduled for Dec. 7.