Spaceport tax opponents gaining ground

By |

With 104 precincts reporting, spaceport opponents are gaining on supporters. The count is now 8,510 votes, or 50.9 percent, in favor of the tax, and 8,200 votes, or 49.1 percent, opposed. The difference is 310 votes, or 1.8 percent. Left to count in addition to provisional ballots are ballots from three precincts and 427 absentee votes. The current margin is smaller than the number of provisional ballots submitted. Continue Reading

South-county ballots yet to be counted

By |

A number of precincts from Southern Doña Ana County have just returned their ballots, so unofficial results from all precincts should be reported soon, said Elections Supervisor Lynn Ellins. With 90 precincts reporting, tax supporters have a 503-vote lead. There are 349 provisional ballots from those precincts, Ellins said. In addition, 427 absentee ballots have yet to be counted, he said. There will be more provisional ballots from the south. Continue Reading

Voter turnout is higher than expected

By |

With 24 precincts yet to report, voter turnout is already unexpectedly high in the spaceport tax election. The county’s tally with 83 of 107 precincts reporting includes 14,787 votes. We know there are at least 400 absentee ballots, so that brings the total number of ballots up to at least 15,187. That’s 15.7 percent of the 96,435 registered voters in the county. New Mexico Economic Development Secretary Rick Homans predicted this morning voter turnout of 10-15 percent. Continue Reading

County’s tally has tax opposition pulling ahead

By |

With 36 of 108 precincts reporting, and including early voting, Doña Ana County’s unofficial tally has spaceport tax opposition winning by about 3 percent. The county’s tally has 4,155 votes, or 51.6 percent, opposed to the tax, and 3,892 votes, or 48.4 percent, in favor of it. The county’s Web site doesn’t list the precincts it’s counted, so it’s impossible to figure out which precincts are included in both the county’s and my numbers. Because of that, at this point, I’m going to stop my count and rely on the county numbers. My newest total included early voting and 20 precincts, and was 3,567 votes, or 50.6 percent, opposed to the tax and 3,484 votes, or 49.4 percent, in favor. Continue Reading

Spaceport tax election now too close to call

By |

The election on whether to raise the gross receipts tax in Doña Ana County to help fund Spaceport America is too close to call. The total from early voting and 20 precincts is 3,567 votes, or 50.6 percent, opposed to the tax and 3,484 votes, or 49.4 percent, in favor. The new numbers I have, from nine additional precincts, are 831 votes, or 58 percent, in favor of the tax, and 592 votes, or 42 percent, opposed. Though 59 percent of early votes opposed the tax, better than 60 percent of the vote in Las Cruces has, thus far, favored approval. If this keeps up, the “Yes” votes will have it, but it’s still too early to tell. Continue Reading

New numbers: Tax approval gaining ground

By |

Though the early vote went against the spaceport tax, numbers I have from today’s vote are keeping alive the chance that the tax will be approved. I have numbers from 11 of 107 precincts. The total from those is 1,080, or 60 percent, voting for the tax and 729, or 40 percent, voting against it. I’m driving around Las Cruces collecting numbers from receipts posted at polling places, so most of those numbers are from inside the city limits. I’ve enlisted a few others to help me. Continue Reading

59 percent of early voters say ‘No’ to spaceport tax

By |

The majority of early voters in Doña Ana County voted against a 1/4 percent increase in the gross receipts tax to help fund Spaceport America. Of 3,819 early voters, 2,246, or 59 percent, voted against imposing the tax, and 1,573, or 41 percent, voted for imposing it. That total does not include as many as 571 absentee ballots that have yet to be counted. Spaceport backers say they focused on absentee ballots and predicted that most of them will go their way. Still, this is a big deficit for the tax to overcome. Continue Reading

Homans campaigns for tax in Las Cruces

By |

How many times do you think a New Mexico cabinet secretary has stood on a street corner 300 miles from the state capitol? I don’t know either, but I thought it was noteworthy that Economic Development Secretary Rick Homans spent the day here campaigning for the spaceport tax. I don’t know much more than that. Voter turnout in Radium Springs continues to be impressive. As of 6:30 p.m., 295 of approximately 1,400 voters in that area had voted, which is about 21 percent. Continue Reading