New Mexicans flock to early voting
Voters flocked to polling locations Saturday across New Mexico as the state expanded early voting in the lead-up to Election Day on Nov. 3.
At an early voting center at the fairgrounds in Santa Fe, cars lined up hours ahead of the 10 a.m. opening time.
Reports of slow mail and long in-person voting lines in other states motivated many voters to show up early.
“The mail is already clogged up and slowed down,” said Shirly Fillas, 70, a Democratic voter who parked outside the locked gates around 7:30 a.m. to drop off her absentee ballot.
By the time the doors opened, 175 people were lined up at the voting center, many parked along the road at the nearby rodeo grounds.
“I heard on the news about eight-hour lines, so I came here early,” said Betty Bustamante, 68, who sat near the front of the line in a blue folding chair.
Scores of voting convenience centers opened Saturday amid a surge in early in-person and remote absentee balloting. Those centers accept voters from across their home county without regard to traditional precinct assignments.
In-person early voting extends for two weeks through Oct. 31.
“I’ve still got weeks to make up my mind and investigate,” said Dell Weston, a Republican and Trump supporter who’s not sure who he’ll vote for in New Mexico’s Senate race.
Weston, 81, came by to get a sample ballot so he can research local races and referendums in his precinct before voting in person.
He wants to research Republican Senate candidate and former TV weatherman Mark Ronchetti and Democratic candidate Ben Ray Luján, a longtime congressman. He said he doesn’t trust the ads he’s seen on TV about Ronchetti.
More than 180,000 ballots have been cast statewide, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. As of Friday, Democrats accounted for nearly 55 percent of the tally, with a strong tendency toward voting by absentee ballot.
Registered Republicans accounted for one-third of ballots cast and mostly voted in person.