Officials don't expect problems with mail-in voting

Voting by mail may be a hotly contested political issue, but local county clerks say mail-in ballots are a secure and safe way to participate in the 2020 election.

“Absentee voting is very secure. The trouble we have seen in the past is two-fold: mail not being delivered or being undeliverable and the voters waiting too long to vote the ballot and return it to our office,” said Stephanie Hicks, Roosevelt County clerk.

Curry County Clerk Annie Hogland said voting by mail was not a problem for her office in the 2020 primary elections, and she’s not expecting problems in November.

“(W)e just plan ahead and we prepare ourselves for an increase so that we can have those results on time,” Hogland said.

Receiving and counting mail-in ballots, as Hicks described, begins with logging the ballot into the county’s Ballot on Demand system as soon as it is received. Then it is placed in a locked ballot box until Election Day.

The box is delivered to the absentee board on Election Day, and the board cross checks the sealed ballot envelopes to names on the signature roster to make sure the criteria is complete on the envelope. After being checked, the ballot in its privacy envelope is taken out and then processed through a vote tabulator. Ballots and signatures at that point are separated to maintain voter privacy.

“The process in the state of New Mexico for absentee voting has been available for quite some time. We’re what we consider a ‘no fault state,’ so it doesn’t have to be due to illness or something like that,” said Hogland, who, like Hicks, is a Republican. “In elections past we had the same absentee turnout each election, kind of our seasoned absentee voters, that was kind of their method that they would always choose to vote.”

Hogland added that one of the biggest positives of mail-in voting is its accessibility. Voters who are hearing or visually impaired can fill out their ballot at home in a private and supportive environment. She said that other participants in mail-in voting tend to be people who like to vote early.

An increase in mail-in voting this year is likely to happen due to a range of influences. Hogland said an increase of third-party organizations sending out absentee ballot applications, including the Voter Participation Center and the Republican Party of New Mexico, will likely increase mail-in turnout.

“With everything going on as far as public health and safety I think some folks find it to be the safest choice for them and their families so I think that will drive those numbers up as well,” she said.

Hicks added that Roosevelt County has seen an increase in absentee ballot applications for the general election and that she has issued a public service announcement stating that in-person voting is a safe way to cast a ballot.

“No matter what a person’s opinion is on the virus, it is up to each and every individual to make the decision that is best for them,” she said.

For this upcoming election New Mexico is offering in-person, mail-in, and early voting options for residents. Requests for absentee ballots can be made through the county clerk’s office, and those ballots can either be mailed in, or dropped off at the clerk’s office without postage.

For mail-in ballots to be counted correctly, the local clerks are recommending voters have them postmarked a week before Election Day.