Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
The final day of early voting was still wrapping up at press time for The News, but even a light Election Day turnout will mean one of the largest electorates in state history.
Through Friday, 739,359 New Mexicans had cast ballots either in-person or by returning their absentee by mail ballots. That is already nearly 92% of the 2016 electorate in the Land of Enchantment, and nearly 89% of the state record of 833,365 set by New Mexicans in 2008.
Curry County, through Friday, had 11,544 ballots cast — 8,448 in person and 3,096 by absentee mail ballots. The latter represents 86% of the 3,612 absentee ballots requested in the county. Curry County’s total turnout in the 2016 general election was 13,451.
Roosevelt County, through Friday, had 5,046 ballots cast — 3,946 in person and 1,100 by absentee mail ballots. The 1,100 returned absentee ballots represents nearly 79% of the 1,394 requested. Turnout in 2016 was around 6,000 for Roosevelt County, with archives at the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office indicating 5,950 ballots cast in the 2016 presidential race.
Voters who have not yet returned absentee ballots are advised to no longer mail their ballots and instead return them in person, as any ballot not received by 7 p.m. Tuesday will not be valid in New Mexico. Voters can return absentee ballots to their county clerk’s office or any polling location.
Along with the presidential race between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, New Mexicans will choose three representatives and a new senator. Assistant House Speaker Ben Ray Lujan is running against Republican Mark Ronchetti for the Senate seat left vacant by Tom Udall’s retirement, while Lujan’s Third District House seat will go to either Teresa Leger Fernandez or Portales native Alexis Johnson. Xochitl Torres Small, the Democrat incumbent, is facing Republican Yvette Herrell for the second straight election in the Second District, while Democrat Deb Haaland runs for reelection in the First District against Republican Michelle Garcia Holmes.
Only one local race is contested on Curry and Roosevelt counties, the New Mexico House District 63 race between incumbent Republican Martin Zamora of Clovis and Democratic challenger Randal Brown of Santa Rosa.
The ballot also includes a pair of constitutional questions and three general obligation bonds. Constitutional Amendment 1 ask voters to either reduce the Public Regulation Commission to a three-member body appointed by the governor with advice and consent of the Senate, or to keep it as a five-member elected board. Constitutional Amendment 2 would align or stagger terms to create a system where odd-numbered districts for elected boards appeared on presidential election ballots and even-numbered districts appeared on the gubernatorial election ballot.
The three bonds — A to benefit senior facilities, B to benefit libraries and C to benefit higher education — total $199.2 million and equate to $10.99 per $100,000 of property value in taxes.
Election Day will be 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday.
Curry County Election Day voting locations are Colonial Park Golf Course, the Youth Recreation Building, Roy Walker Community Center, Farmers Electric Cooperative in Clovis, the Curry County Road Department road barn, the Pleasant Hill Fire Department, the Grady Senior Citizens Center, Melrose City Hall and the Texico Community Building.
Roosevelt County Election Day voting locations are the Jake Lopez Community Center, the Portales Memorial Building, the Dora Senior Center, the Elida Community Center and the Floyd Community Center.
