As of Saturday, 9.5 percent of Republicans and 3.5 percent of Democrats had voted early and absentee in Doña Ana County.
Saturday was the last day of early voting. It’s likely that most absentee ballots that will be cast have already been cast, but absentee ballots can be returned to the county clerk’s office until 7 p.m. Tuesday.
According to the clerk’s office, 2,633 Republicans – out of 27,645 registered GOP voters – had voted early and absentee as of Saturday, while 1,742 Democrats – out of 49,045 registered – had voted.
It’s no surprise that more Republicans have voted early. They have a high-profile gubernatorial primary, while Democrats do not. And the candidate leading in the polls of that GOP primary, Susana Martinez, is Doña Ana County’s district attorney.
In addition, there’s some speculation that the energy that has caused the national mood to swing back to the right could affect voter turnout in favor of Republicans.