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Early voting is about to start in Albuquerque’s Oct. 6 municipal election, but those who would rather vote absentee can cut a step out of the process by calling the city’s 311 service.
That’s because telephone operators who answer their calls complete the first of two forms required to get a ballot in the mail.
The city operates under state municipal election laws that require one additional step compared to other elections. That means voters in the Duke City are required to complete both a absentee ballot application request form and an application for absentee ballot before receiving the actual ballot in the mail.
City Clerk Randy Autio said that’s the same process that has been used in the last three city elections.
But voters who call 311 can skip one of those two steps. They must give their name, date of birth, e-mail address, telephone number and mailing address to the operator. After completing the call, the 311 operator routes the form to the city clerk’s office.
After processing, voters receive an application for an absentee ballot that has to be mailed back to the clerk’s office before the actual ballot is mailed.
NMPolitics.net tested the 311 system Tuesday morning. The phone call took a little less than five minutes.
The clerk’s office is processing about 1,000 requests for absentee ballots everyday, and staffers had to work over the weekend to clear a backlog of requests for applications. Autio said the office is currently caught up.
“It appears in this election season the absentees become popular with the campaigns in order to get the vote out — which is great, except that it puts a great strain on our office to respond quickly,” Autio said. “Campaigns are walking the neighborhoods and getting requests and bringing them in, so they’re coming in all kinds of different forms.”
Taking the extra step
Mayoral candidate Richard Romero’s field director, Zach Mikelson, said the city absentee voting process is a “more cumbersome process than other elections” because of the extra step. “… but we haven’t had any problems, and the clerk’s office has been more than helpful,” he said.
Romero’s camp has a program to get supporters the mail-in ballots. Mikelson said they’ve distributed more than 500 “friend and family” packets, which include 20 individual forms for requesting absentee ballot applications.
Mikelson said the campaign is receiving an average of 13 completed forms back for each package distributed.
Joan Griffin, spokeswoman for Mayor Marty Chávez’s campaign, said the campaign sent an e-mail to supporters with an embedded link directing them to the request for absentee form posted online. Additionally, at several recent forums, Chávez has instructed people to call the city’s 311 number.
Dana Feldman, who is managing state Rep. Richard “RJ” Berry’s campaign, said the campaign is “definitely telling everyone that the (absentee voting) process is available.”
“Right now we are putting up locations of early voting sites on our Web site,” Feldman said.
The city clerk’s office began distributing absentee ballots Sept. 1. Completed applications have been accepted in the office since Wednesday.
Early voting starts Wednesday
But absentee voting isn’t the only way to vote before Oct. 6. Four early, in-person voting sites open on Wednesday.
Voters who show up at these locations — the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Government Center, City of Albuquerque Records Center, APS City Center in ABQ Uptown and Ladera Plaza — must present photo identification to vote.
Early voting runs Mondays-Fridays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. through Oct. 2.
Earlier today, poll workers for all 168 precincts were attending one of six two-hour training sessions.
“We want all of them to understand all of the ins and outs of the election law, particularly the requirement for a voter photo ID that’s new this year,” Autio said. “We want all the voters to realize they are going to have to bring a photo ID. Any ID that has their name and photograph on it will do.”
Upcoming candidate forums
Two mayoral candidates have confirmed their attendance at tonight’s Juan Tabo Hills Neighborhood Association forum at the Manzano Multi-generation Center. Staffers for Berry and Romero confirmed those candidates will attend the one-hour meeting beginning at 7 p.m.
The association’s Kevin Smith said Chávez’s campaign manager, Mark Fleischer, told him the mayor committed to a private house party 45 days ago and will not be attending.
On Wednesday, all three candidates will be back together for an independent-media sponsored debate that begins at 7 p.m. in the Bank of America Theater at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Wednesday’s event is sponsored by KNME-TV, KUNM radio, the New Mexico Independent and The Weekly Alibi.
And on Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. the candidates will debate on live television. That debate is being sponsored by KOB TV 4 and will be simulcast statewide on radio via 770 KKOB — a radio station for which this reporter also works.
By way of disclosure, St. Cyr is paid as a subcontractor through Griffin’s firm on a contract to help promote the Town of Taos that has nothing to do with the Albuquerque election.