Early voting statewide tops 57 percent

The New Mexico Secretary of State’s office said 770,596 of the state’s 1,350,181 registered voters have voted early in the Nov. 3 general election. That’s a more than 57 percent turnout, with voting still to come on election day.

In Doña Ana County, the secretary of state’s office said 66,988 voters had cast their ballots early. That’s about 53.6 percent of the county’s 125,000 registered voters. It’s almost 58 percent of the county’s 114,000 active voters.

Here are the final early-vote totals for the state and county:

Statewide: Democrats: 193,051 absentee, 182,944, early in-person, 375,995 total; Republicans: 68,347 absentee, 199,360 early in-person, 267,707 total; declined to state a party preference: 48,875 absentee, 67,136 early in-person, 116,011 total; Libertarian: 2,117 absentee, 3,694 early in-person, 5,811 total; other parties: 1,982 absentee, 3,090 early in-person, 5,072 total.

Doña Ana County: Democrats: 16,329 absentee, 17,432, early in-person, 33,761 total; Republicans: 5,127 absentee, 15,378 early in-person, 20,505 total; declined to state a party preference: 4,942 absentee, 6,929 early in-person, 11,871 total; Libertarian: 205 absentee, 288 early in-person, 493 total; other parties: 146 absentee, 212 early in-person, 358 total.

Early voting totals in Doña Ana County equal “more than 90 percent of the county’s total turnout in the 2016 presidential election,” Chief Deputy County Clerk Lindsey Bachman said. About 70,000 county voters participated in the general election in 2016, including early, absentee and election day voting, Bachman said.

Polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on election day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 40 voting locations in the county. Find voting locations at dacelections.com.

Absentee ballots can be returned by the voter, the voter's immediate family member (spouse, parent, sibling or child) or by the voter's caregiver at any voting convenience center on election day. Outdoor absentee return boxes will also be available at 14 election day voting centers: Anthony City Hall

Chaparral Middle School, Corbett Center (NMSU campus), Doña Ana County Government Center,  Desert Hills Elementary School, Desert View Elementary School,               Jornada Elementary School, Las Cruces City Hall, Lynn Middle School, Mayfield High School, Oñate High School, Santa Teresa Middle School, Sierra Middle School and Sonoma Elementary School.

You can track election results on the secretary of state’s website: https://electionresults.sos.state.nm.us/.