Early voting for local elections ends Saturday

Early voting for local elections ends Saturday

Election Day is less than a week away. City council seats, school board positions, and mayoral races are up for grabs. If you don't want to wait, there's still time to vote early.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Election season is back, and if you want to skip the lines day of, you still have time to cast your vote early.

“We’re seeing a light turnout for this election so far. But the way that that is a good thing is that for folks who have not gotten out to vote yet, you’re not going to be waiting in any kind of a line,” said Michelle Kavanaugh, the Bernalillo County deputy clerk.

Early voting goes until this Saturday, and now it’s easier than ever. Earlier this year Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the New Mexico Voting Rights Act into law.

Under the new law, all polling locations are mandated to offer same day voter registration.

Bernalillo County is offering several locations to vote early, but Kavanaugh said she knows a lot of people like to vote on actual day.

“We do tend to see higher turnout on Election Day itself, because people do like being able to cast their vote on Election Day, you know, it’s a sacred experience, and people like to do that,” she said.

Some positions up on the ballot this year include half of Albuquerque City Council seats, three school board positions, and Los Ranchos and Tijeras are voting for new mayors.

The election may not have the big races like governor or president, but the clerk’s office wants to remind people that it’s still important to vote.

“When you step out of your house, the decisions that your city councilors make, the decisions that your school board members make — those are the decisions that are going to affect your day-to-day life,” she said.

To check where your voting location is, click here.