ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Voters on Tuesday are choosing which candidates will make the November ballot, but will this primary election draw in as many voters as 2020? The Bernalillo County Clerk said there’s a key difference in this primary compared to what happened in 2020 when there were far more absentee ballots mailed in, compared to the number of people voting in person.
“Right now at early voting, we are at 29,406, and absentee ballots we’re at 13,203 so compared to 2020 we’re higher, but since we don’t have a pandemic we really should have more people going to the polls,” said Bernalillo County Clerk, Linda Stover.
In 2020, Bernalillo County had around 98,000 people vote absentee. Just around 13,000 voters cast absentee ballots in the county this year. Clerk Stover said voter turnout Tuesday is lower, so far. As of 3 p.m. around 18& of Bernalillo county voters cast ballots.
Statewide, around 163,000 New Mexicans have cast ballots in this primary as of this Tuesday afternoon. In 2020, 42% of eligible voters cast ballots in New Mexico. “I think it’s important for everyone to put their two cents in. Whether it’s, whichever side of the aisle you’re on. That way you can’t complain one way or the other. Doesn’t do no good to complain at home and not do something about it,” said one voter in Bernalillo County voting in person.
According to the secretary of state’s office, more Democrats are voting in this primary than Republicans. Bernalillo County has 72 voting centers open, and people have until 7 p.m. to get in line to cast their vote.
Some of the races to watch in this primary include the democrat contest for Bernalillo and Santa Fe counties district attorneys and several incumbent house and senate lawmakers are facing challengers.
