Voting begins Tuesday — let’s be ready

Pity the voters of 2020. If they are not spending hours trying to decipher vote-by-mail rules, figure out the hours and sites for early voting, there’s the real concern that hordes of Trump supporters could show up at the polls Election Day intent on stopping “suspicious” would-be voters.

Then there are worries about too-slow mail delivery delaying ballots, concern about whether ballots can be counted fast enough to be included in the totals, and more broadly, the anxiety over the many GOP-backed schemes across the country to block thousands of qualified voters from showing up.

Adding to the distractions are the repeated mailings from groups telling residents to request vote-by-mail ballots, leading some to send multiple requests. Only one application for a ballot per eligible voter can be turned in. Just one. That’s true no matter how many letters a voter receives asking him or her to apply.

All of this is hard to navigate. One way to avoid confusion is for voters to throw out mail that isn’t from either your county clerk or from Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver. Consider the source, in other words.

Ballots start being mailed Tuesday, Oct. 6, so even voters who requested them weeks ago won’t have them yet. That’s the law, not a result of slow mail delivery, so don’t worry about ballot delays — at least not yet. The last day absentee ballots will go out is Oct. 20.

In New Mexico, let’s start ratcheting down anxiety. Our state electoral system includes such praiseworthy safeguards as paper ballots that can be audited, the ability for all eligible citizens to vote by mail after requesting a ballot, as well as plenty of days for in-person early voting. We aren’t facing voter suppression issues like other states.

So let’s make sure to vote and get ballots turned in on time.

Ballots must be received by 5 p.m. Nov. 3 — postmarks won’t count. It’s possible to turn in ballots at the county clerk’s office or polling places, too.

Starting Tuesday, Oct. 6, absentee voting will begin, whether by mail or in person. Usually, in-person absentee voting occurs at a county clerk’s office. Santa Fe County Clerk Geraldine Salazar, because of COVID19, has announced that in-person absentee voting will take place at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, 201 W. Marcy St.. (Advertisements ran in The New Mexican over the weekend with voting information, or visit www.santafecountynm.gov/ clerk/vccs for hours and days.)

Starting Oct. 17, voter convenience centers will open all over New Mexico, including in Santa Fe County. Use the days from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31 — the early voting period — to vote in person if you can.

Voter registration ends Oct. 6, but in case the election season is not confusing enough, there’s another wrinkle this fall.

New Mexico now has in person, same-day voter registration, which voters can do at the Santa Fe County Clerk’s Office, the new county building, 100 Catron St..

All of this, taking place during one of the more consequential presidential elections in American history. Voting starts Tuesday. Have a plan to vote, and be patient. Be prepared, too, for a wait on election night, Nov. 3. We are used to elections being called early. However, with so many states voting by mail, there is the increasing likelihood that results won’t be ready election night. Despite claims to the contrary, it is essential to count all the eligible ballots.

Right now, it’s time to vote.