ABSENTEE VOTING OVERVIEW

Over 5,000 requests have been received – deadline is Oct. 20

As Election Day looms closer, the Taos County Clerk’s Office is preparing for a ballot count unlike any in modern history.

Because of COVID-19, the request for absentee ballots has skyrocketed. County clerk Anna Martinez said absentee voter request forms are coming in at the rate of “hundreds per day,” but that regardless of the influx, their office is prepared to receive and count ballots in a timely manner.

As of Tuesday, (Oct. 6) a total of 5,081 Taos County residents had requested an absentee ballot.

Much time will be spent preparing the ballot requests for the Taos County Bureau of Elections and mailing them out. “We only have until Oct. 20,” said Martinez, regarding the deadline for absentee ballot requests at the clerk’s office. While noting that the timing has been tough, hopefully “it gets people not to procrastinate,” she said.

With different voting precincts, drop-off boxes and times to vote, if you plan on skipping the polls on Nov. 3 and voting absentee, there is a lot to know.

How to request your absentee ballot

First things first, voters in New Mexico must request an absentee ballot. Requesting your absentee ballot is easy and can be done several ways:

Contact your county clerk’s office in person, by phone (575) 737-6380, mail (105 Albright Street, UNIT H, Taos, NM 87571), or email (anna.martinez@taoscounty.org).

Voters can also download an Absentee Ballot Application here, on the New Mexico Secretary of State website: sos.state.nm.us/voting-andelections.

All ballot requests must be received by the county clerk’s office by 5 p.m. on Tuesday (Oct. 20).

Once voters have their absentee ballots, the process of filling it out should feel familiar to people who’ve voted before. It’s the process of turning in your ballot where things can get potentially confusing.

How to drop off your ballot

Ballots can be dropped off in person at the Taos County Clerk’s Office, located at 105 Albright Street, UNIT H, in Taos.

For a more socially distant approach, ballot drop-box areas will be located throughout Taos County.

Drop boxes can be found in the following areas:

Taos County Courthouse front steps, available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Across from the courthouse, on Paseo del Pueblo Sur, just by the bus stop, which will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Peñasco Community Center, 14136 State Road 75, Peñasco

Available for drop off 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Oct. 17-31.

Questa Village Hall, 2500 Old State Road 3, Questa

Available for drop off 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Oct. 17-31.

El Prado Water and Sanitation Department, 1017 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, El Prado

Available for drop off 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Oct. 17-31.

Ballots can also be turned in on Election Day, or when early voting starts on Oct. 6 at the Taos County Courthouse between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

What if my ballot is wrong?

If your ballot contains incorrect information, don’t worry. The county clerk’s office will send a new and corrected ballot within 24 hours of receiving an incorrect ballot application.

If you did not receive an absentee ballot you requested, contact the county clerk’s office no later than Nov. 2.

If you plan on going to the polls:

Early voting is underway at the Taos County Courthouse.

All usual poll locations will be open for early voting starting Saturday, Oct. 31. However, early voting at alternative sites will end on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Voting early is an easy way to stay socially distant and to also make sure your ballot ends up in the right hands on Election Day.

Polls will be open on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Ballot security

As many voters worry about their absentee votes counting, the clerk’s office remains optimistic that its plan to count is foolproof. This involves the absentee ballot being sent to voters within three specific envelopes – one being a sealed safety envelope, the next being an envelope to be signed by the voter and a third being the mailing envelope.

Martinez said great effort will be made to ensure that each ballot has been signed correctly. Once verified, staff will will scan ballots into the state system and put them into a locked ballot box. If an unsigned ballot is received, the voter will try to be reached for contact. “Sometimes we use Facebook and make every attempt,” said Martinez. However, if the ballot is incorrectly signed and a voter is unable to be reached, the ballot may be rejected.

To ensure even more verification, the absentee ballots will be counted Election Day by an absentee board – which is usually made up of individuals belonging to both major parties. This year the board will have a group of six people from both parties to count the ballots.

This year’s Bureau of Elections verification process will start five days prior to Election Day. Martinez said that this process ensures extra safety when it comes to protecting against voter fraud.

Then begins a complicated process to make sure that all ballots have been received, are in alphabetical order and are counted on the list that matches that of the Bureau of Elections. Once verified, staff separate the outer envelope, inner envelope and ballots, so the end result is a stack of regular ballots, which will then be fed into the voting machines on Election Day with the rest of them.

Finally, Martinez said the ballots will stay locked in a box for 22 months after the election, in case of a recount.

View sample ballots

While everyone voting will see familiar names representing the general election, ballots will vary slightly based on voters’ location in Taos County. Throughout the county, there will be 10 different styles of ballots depending on the district and precinct. To find a sample ballot specific to your voting precinct, follow these instructions:

Go to nmvote.org.

This takes you to Voter Information Portal.

Scroll down page to “Find My Registration.”

Click on “Your Sample Ballot.” Fill out your name, birth date and county in the box. ( Then click the box that says you are not a robot.) Search.

If you are registered, it will pull up registration information.

In left box, click “My Sample Ballot” and then “View Sample Ballot.”

Taos County Voting Precincts

Taos County Bureau of Elections provided this updated list of precinct sites with addresses. Any questions, call them at (575) 737-6400.

Tres Piedras # 1 (Tres Piedras Fire House), 38391 Highway 285, Tres Piedras

Costilla # 2 (Costilla Elementary School), # 14 Garcia Road, Costilla Amalia # 3 (Amalia Senior Citizen Center), Highway 196 through Amalia up toward Ventero, Amalia

Cerro # 4 (Cerro Community Center), 151 State Road 375, Cerro Questa # 5 (Alta Vista Middle School), Highway 522, Questa

Questa # 6 (Alta Vista Middle School), 2 Mile N Highway 522, Questa

Red River # 7 (Red River Conference Center), 101 W River Street, Red River San Cristóbal # 8 (San Cristóbal Community Center), Camino del Medio Building #34, San Cristóbal

Arroyo Hondo

#9 (Arroyo Hondo Community Center), 26 Lower Arroyo Hondo Road, Arroyo Hondo

Arroyo Hondo # 9 (Old Armory), 489 Blueberry Hill Road, El Prado Valdez # 10 (Valdez Old School), Highway 230, Valdez

Arroyo Seco # 11 (Holy Trinity Parish Center), 498 Highway 150, PO Box 189, Arroyo Seco

El Prado # 12 (Old Armory), 489 Blueberry Hill Road, El Prado

Taos Pueblo # 13 (Taos Pueblo Community Center), in Taos Pueblo, Taos

Ranchitos # 14 (Taos Civic Center), 120 Civic Plaza Drive, Taos

Taos # 15 (Taos Civic Center), 120 Civic Plaza Drive, Taos

Taos # 16 (Taos High School), 134 Cervantes Street, Taos

North Los Cordovas # 17 (Los Cordovas Community Center), 60 Los Cordovas Road, Taos

North Los Cordovas

# 17 (Old Armory), 489 Blueberry Hill Road, El Prado

Cañon # 18 (Christian Academy Gymnasium), 814 Witt Road, Taos Cañon # 18 (Rio Fernando Fire House),

26566 Highway 64 E, Taos

Ranchos de Taos # 19 (Ranchos Elementary School), 200 Sanders Lane, Ranchos de Taos Llano Quemado

# 20 (Llano Quemado Community Center), State Road 382 Hot Springs Road, Ranchos de Taos

Talpa # 21 (Talpa Community Center), # 3 Archuleta Road, Ranchos de Taos

Ojo Caliente # 22 (Ojo Caliente Fire House), 20 Los Baños, Ojo Caliente Pilar # 23 (BLM Río Grande Gorge Visitor Center), State Road 570 Orilla Verde (Pilar), Taos Rio Lucio # 24 (Río Lucio Community Center), 1264 State Road 75, Peñasco

Vadito # 25 (Vadito Community Center), 5 Picuris Road, Vadito Placitas # 26 (Vadito Community Center), 5 Picuris Road, Vadito Chamisal # 27 (Chamisal Senior Center), Upper Chamisal Road (Blue Bldg), Chamisal Peñasco # 28 (Peñasco Community Center), 14136 State Road 75, Peñasco

Rodarte # 29 (Peñasco Community Center), 14136 State Road 75, Rodarte

Las Trampas # 30 (Chamisal Community Center), Upper Chamisal Road (Blue Bldg), Las Trampas

El Valle # 31 (Chamisal Senior Center)Upper Chamisal Road (Blue Bldg), Chamisal

Llano # 32 (Llano Community Center), 15 Upper Llano Road, Box 1, Llano

Taos Ski Valley # 33

(Inn at Taos Valley), 1314 State Road 150, Taos Ski Valley

South Los Cordovas

# 34 (Ranchos Elementary School), 200 Sanders Lane, Ranchos de Taos

Cruz Alta # 35 (Taos Middle School), 213 Paseo del Cañón, Taos

Picuris Pueblo

# 36 (Picuris Pueblo Administration Building), Off State Road 75, Peñasco