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Monday, October 04, 2004

Eager Voter Days Begin This Tuesday. Voter Registration Ends at 5 PM That Day!

The last day to register to vote before the November 2nd election and the first day for voting in New Mexico is TOMORROW, OCTOBER 5th. Any registered voter in New Mexico can show up at their County Clerk's office from October 5 thru October 30 and cast their vote using a paper absentee ballot. Even if you haven't registered yet, you can show up and register before the deadline of 5:00 PM on October 5th, fill out an absentee ballot, and do everything in one stop.

We expect hundreds of people to show up Tuesday morning at county clerk's offices around New Mexico to cast their votes against the Bush regime. In Santa Fe, Kerry's stepson, Chris Heinz, will be at the Santa Fe County Clerk's Office at 102 Grant Avenue between 9:00 and 9:30 AM to celebrate early voting, and locals will start congregating there to vote at 8 AM when the office opens. Chris will also be participating in an early voting visibility event at Kerry HQ in Albuquerque at 4:30 PM today, October 4.

Here are a few reasons for using an absentee ballot and voting eagerly:

  1. Your vote is on paper, and is capable of being recounted, even if entered into an electronic voting machine.

  2. You won't be taken in by e-mail hoaxes that tell you to vote on November 3rd. (Such an e-mail was circulated to California Democrats in 2000.)

  3. You don't know what will happen that might prevent you from voting on November 2 in spite of your good intentions. Sick dog? Flat tire? Business trip? October surprise? Don't take that chance.

New Mexico's voter turnout in 2000 was dismal -- only 47.4% of voting age citizens. We ranked 42nd out of 50 states. We can improve on that with an enthusiastic and informed electorate that votes early. Spread the word.

You can go to the nonpartisan Eager Voter Project website and get information on how to vote early for every county in New Mexico. Also check the left-hand Voting sidebar on this site for links to information on all aspects of voting in New Mexico. What a great message: We Want Bush GONE, and We Cannot Wait Any Longer!

Click through to the continuation of this post for a summary of important voting dates and information. (Thanks to Pam in OK for the Uncle Howard graphic.)

VOTING DEADLINES AND INFORMATION

Voter Registration:
Must be received by the County Clerk by October 5th at 5:00 PM. You can register in person at the County Clerk’s office or use forms available in many places including libraries and campaign offices.

Absentee Ballots:
You can obtain an application for an absentee ballot by visiting, writing or calling your County Clerk, by downloading one at https://www.sos.state.nm.us/Election/ABinfo.htm or by visiting any major candidate's campaign office.

You must submit an application for an absentee ballot and get it to the County Clerk by 5:00 PM on October 28th. Absentee ballots for those who have requested them will be mailed to voters beginning October 5th. The ballots must be returned to the County Clerk in their official mailing envelopes by 7:00 PM on November 2nd, election day.

If you request and receive an absentee ballot, you must use it to vote. If you don't use the absentee ballot, you are allowed to request a Provisional Ballot at your polling place on election day.

If you’d rather vote by absentee ballot at the County Clerk’s office, you can do so starting October 5th and ending October 30th.

Early Voting at Satellite Locations:
Early Voting at satellite locations begins on October 16th and ends on October 30th. If you call your County Clerk, they will be able to tell you the locations, including your County Clerk's office.

Early voting at satellite locations happens on the following schedule (call your County Clerk to confirm): Tuesday thru Friday: 12 - 8 PM; Saturday: 10 AM - 6 PM.

Election Day:
Voting at precinct polling places takes place on November 2nd. You can find your polling place in Bernalillo County at this site: https://outside.bernco.gov/clerk/precinct.html

Contacts:
Bernalillo County Clerk
One Civic Plaza NW
City/County Building, 6th Floor
Albuquerque NM 87102
505-768-4631 (Bureau of Elections)
Website:
Email: clerk@bernco.gov

Sandoval County Clerk
711 Camino del Pueblo
Bernalillo NM 87004
505-867-7572
Website: https://www.sandovalcounty.com/Clerk/Clerk.html

The nonpartisan Eager Voter Project provides information on voting for each county.

Secretary of State, Bureau of Elections (statewide information)
505-827-3600 or 1-800-477-3632
Website: https://www.sos.state.nm.us/Election/ElectionInfo.htm

October 4, 2004 at 02:38 PM in Candidates & Races | Permalink

Comments

welcome home John when you get back!!
mr: eager voter day guy!

Posted by: mary ellen | Oct 4, 2004 4:13:50 PM

Thanks, ME! I just finished visiting every county yesterday, ending with Sandoval and Los Alamos - and a beautiful drive through the Jemez and Valles de Caldera between the two. I was heartened to hear more and more people knowing about early voting by the end of the tour. Don't know where the information was coming from, and don't care. The important thing is getting the ball rolling today and constantly reminding people that, yes, you can vote NOW. Not undecided? Vote now! Don't need to see another TV commercial? Vote now! Don't need more time to tally up the pros and cons of the Bush regime? Vote now! Best thing that could happen is for polls to be empty by November 2nd. So it's 5:30 AM, and I'm going to take a quick, cool shower (forgot to turn on the hot water when I got home!) and get out there in a bid to be the first to vote out the Bush regime. See yas!

Posted by: John McAndrew | Oct 5, 2004 5:31:20 AM

I was first in line, but didn't get to vote. The devil is in the details: if you have already requested an absentee ballot, it is on its way to you as of today, and the county clerk - in Santa Fe at least, will not issue a paper ballot at the clerk's office for you to vote in person. If, a week before election day, you have not received your ballot, you can go to the clerk's office, sign an affidavit of non-receipt, and they will give you a new ballot at that time.

Posted by: John McAndrew | Oct 5, 2004 10:35:49 AM

Well, WE all know you were the very first to vote in New Mexico! And that your hard work resulted in many other eager and early voters around the state, and will continue to do so for the entire early voting period. Congratulations and thanks!

Posted by: barb | Oct 6, 2004 9:14:10 AM

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