Quiet start to Sandoval County early voting for June 2 primary

Only 200 ballots were in by May 6 at Sandoval County’s first early-voting site, the Bureau of Elections office at 1500 Idalia Rd. in Bernalillo, a quiet opening day that deputy clerk Joey Dominguez said surprised him. He said the cloudy, rainy weather may have kept some voters home, but the pace was far below the county’s presidential-primary rhythm, when Sandoval averaged about 1,000 early votes a day.

The slow start gives the June 2 primary more than a turnout story. It raises the question of which local fights, party contests and candidate choices are still failing to break through with voters in Bernalillo, Rio Rancho, Corrales and the county’s rural communities. If the early pace stays weak, the ballots cast in the next few weeks will carry more weight in the primaries that decide who moves on in Sandoval County and who gets left behind.

Early voting opened May 5 and runs through May 30 at the county administration building, with weekday hours from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday voting begins May 16 and continues on May 23 and May 30. The county’s notice says all early voting locations will be closed on Memorial Day, May 25, and that the expanded phase will include 11 voter convenience centers. Sites are slated for Bernalillo, Corrales, Cuba, Rio Rancho, San Ysidro, Jemez Springs and Placitas, with same-day registration available at all polling locations.

This year’s primary is also different from past cycles. New Mexico is holding its first semi-open primary under Senate Bill 16, and voters registered as decline-to-state, independent or with a minor party can choose either a Democratic or Republican ballot without changing registration. The League of Women Voters of Central New Mexico says all registered voters can participate in the June 2 election, while Source NM and KANW have reported that decline-to-state voters are being allowed in for the first time under the new law.

The timetable is tight. Requests for mailed ballots close May 19, early voting ends May 30 and Election Day is June 2, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Anne Brady-Romero, the county clerk, is overseeing a system that now stretches from the clerk’s office in Bernalillo to community centers across the county. If turnout does not pick up soon, the places where Sandoval voters cast those ballots may matter as much as the races on them.