{"id":158211,"date":"2016-06-07T05:59:12","date_gmt":"2016-06-07T11:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=158211"},"modified":"2016-06-07T13:58:26","modified_gmt":"2016-06-07T19:58:26","slug":"for-democrats-and-republicans-its-election-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2016\/06\/for-democrats-and-republicans-its-election-day\/","title":{"rendered":"For Democrats and Republicans, it’s Election Day in NM"},"content":{"rendered":"
\""Voting<\/a>

Tom Arthur \/ Creative Commons<\/p>

If you’re voting today, share your experience by sending us an email<\/a>. We’d like to know if you have any problems. We’d also love to hear about positive experiences. Thanks! (photo cc info<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

Democrats and Republicans in New Mexico go to the polls today to formally nominate\u00a0candidates for president, U.S. House, state Legislature, and other state and county\u00a0offices, and officials are expecting strong voter turnout.<\/p>\n

That’s because increased\u00a0turnout has\u00a0already been happening. More people voted early this year in New Mexico than in the last two presidential primary elections — about 119,000 Democrats and Republicans statewide this year versus 66,661 in 2012 and 49,709 in 2008.<\/p>\n

And about 17,000 absentee ballots had\u00a0been returned statewide by Saturday, compared with\u00a018,564 absentee votes cast in 2012 and 30,854 in 2008. Absentee ballots can be returned anytime before the polls close today.<\/p>\n

“The secretary of state is very encouraged by the turnout so far for this primary election,” said Kenneth Ortiz, the secretary of state’s chief of staff. “…Our office hopes every eligible voter who wants to participate will get out and vote (Tuesday)\u00a0if they haven\u2019t already done so.”<\/p>\n

Turnout has been way up in Do\u00f1a Ana County, where\u00a08,658 people voted early this year, compared to 3,503 in 2014 and 3,269 in 2012, according to Chief Deputy County Clerk Scott Krahling. And 756 absentee ballots had\u00a0been returned in Do\u00f1a Ana County by Monday afternoon — a big\u00a0increase over the 332 absentee ballots cast in 2014 and 329 in 2012.<\/p>\n

“Early voting turnout was huge this year, and we hope for the momentum to continue through Election Day,” Krahling said.<\/p>\n

Early voting numbers were\u00a0similarly high\u00a0in Bernalillo County.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019ve had almost double the turnout for early and absentee voting here in Bernalillo County than we had in the 2012 primary election, which itself surpassed 2008,” said County\u00a0Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver. “I\u2019m hearing pundits say that this is possibly going to be the highest turnout we\u2019ve had in a primary election since 1976.”<\/p>\n

Some 48,106 people voted early in Bernalillo County, and about 8,114\u00a0absentee ballots had been returned as of Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n

The race at the top of the ballot is likely driving much of the increased turnout. A day after The Associated Press declared Hillary Clinton the presumptive Democratic nominee<\/a> for president, Democrats will decide whether Clinton or Bernie Sanders wins the majority of New Mexico’s\u00a0delegates.<\/p>\n

Some 43 delegates<\/a> to the Democratic National Convention are up for grabs in New Mexico. Nine are so-called superdelegates who can support whichever candidate they want\u00a0\u2014 five\u00a0have pledged support for Clinton<\/a> \u2014 and the other 34 will be awarded proportionately based today’s\u00a0vote.<\/p>\n

In spite of the declaration that Clinton has won, she<\/a> and Sanders<\/a> both urged voters in New Mexico and other states holding primaries today to vote.<\/p>\n

Donald Trump has already become the presumptive Republican nominee for president, but several other candidates will also appear on the ballot. The state\u2019s Republican primary voters can choose between Trump, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, and Marco Rubio.<\/p>\n

NMPolitics.net has covered the presidential race in New Mexico extensively. Our articles are\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you’re looking for information on other races, We’ve posted\u00a0two articles about legislative candidates’ views on structural issues such as paying lawmakers and ethics reform (here<\/a> and here<\/a>). We’ve also looked in-depth at the Democratic primary for Do\u00f1a Ana County district attorney (here<\/a>) and posted two follow-up articles about ethics complaints filed in that race (here<\/a> and here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Here are links to some other election guides:<\/p>\n