High voter turnout, particularly in some counties in southern New Mexico, marks the first week of early voting

Oct. 15 – SANTA FE – More than 50,000 New Mexicans voted in the first week of absentee and early voting, with Republicans surpassing Democrats in turnout so far.

As of Tuesday, nearly 4.6% of registered Republicans had already voted in this year's general election, compared to about 4.2% of registered Democrats.

That voting trend contrasts with early turnout rates in other recent elections, said Brian Sanderoff, president of Albuquerque-based Research & Polling Inc., which analyzes data released by Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver's office.

In previous election years, Democrats have generally voted more often in early voting than Republicans, Sanderoff said.

However, overall, more Democrats have voted in New Mexico than Republicans so far, with Democrats accounting for about 49.2% of all votes cast and Republicans accounting for about 38.9%.

That's because Democrats entered this year's election cycle with a significant lead among registered voters — about 43% of New Mexico's more than 1.3 million voters are Democrats, while about 31% are Republicans. The remaining voters either belong to other political parties or have declined to declare their party affiliation.

Meanwhile, several counties saw particularly high voter turnout in the first week of mail-in and early voting. That includes Grant County in southwestern New Mexico, where 13.2% of Democrats and 12.2% of Republican voters cast their ballots.

In southern New Mexico, Sierra and Socorro counties also saw high voter turnout: More than 12% of registered Democrats and Republicans alike voted in Sierra County and nearly 13% of registered Republicans voted in Socorro County.

In addition to the presidential race between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump, hotly contested general elections in these three counties could drive high voter turnout so far, Sanderoff said.

In total, the 50,109 votes cast in New Mexico three weeks before Election Day are more than double the number cast at the same time in the 2022 general election – the last statewide election.

However, voter turnout tends to be higher overall in presidential election years – like this year – and this year's campaign has sparked great excitement and anxiety among voters.

A steady but brisk line of voters formed at the Santa Fe County Clerk's Office on Tuesday, with several voters expressing relief at having fulfilled their civic duty.

“I'm glad we came early” to avoid the possibility of long lines on Election Day, said Gwen Wells of Santa Fe, who also said she was worried she might forget to vote if she waited.

Expanded early voting begins across New Mexico on October 19th and runs through November 2nd. A total of 20 early voting centers will open in Bernalillo County.

In addition, the deadline for registering to vote online or by mail has already passed, but eligible voters can still register and cast their vote in person until Election Day.

All mail-in ballots must also be returned by Election Day, November 5th.