10-09-2024 8:10pm

Otero County Early Voting Numbers Heavy Turnout and More

Chris Edwards Editor

In Alamogordo, Otero County and New Mexico early and absentee voting for the general election began Tuesday with a large line forming to vote on New York Avenue.

Two days into voting and Otero County has already seen 1100 voters cast their ballots. Sixteen early absentee votes have already arrived...

1084 early voters have already cast their ballot 2 days into voting. The Republican majority of registered voters in Otero County, New Mexico is casting their votes and making their presence known with 684 votes cast so far, the local minority party, the Democratic Party registered voters have seen 299 individuals having cast their vote. Independents, other and Libertarian have casted 117 votes so far.

The Clerks office seeing the large lines prepared by placing chairs on the sidewalks at the New York Avenue polling location to accommodate the elderly and disabled that are waiting in line to vote.

Go to co.otero.nm.us to print your sample ballot or request an Absentee ballot. There's also a link to check out the GO Bonds and Constitutional Amendments. Contact our office if you have any questions or concerns.

The Super Sample General Ballot is now available on the clerk's website.

Early voting has begun. Here are some links to the people running for local office in Otero County...

District 51 State Representative (Mostly Alamogordo)
Ashlie Myers: https://www.ashlie4otero.com/
John Block: https://johnfornm.com/

District 53 State Representative (Chaparral):
Sarah Silva: https://www.newmexicansforsarah.com/
Elizabeth Winterrowd: https://lizfornm.com/

District 54 (Holloman, La Luz, Boles Acres, Walker, West Alamogordo):
Jonathan Henry: https://www.facebook.com/JonHenryDist2/
Christian Ehmling: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557310537794

The following people are unopposed locally in November:

Senate District 31 - Joseph Cervantes, Senate Distict 33- Nick Paul,
Senate District 34 - Jim Townsend, Representative 56 - Harlan Vincent, District Attorney - Michael Suggs,12th District Judge - Stephen Ochoa
Magistrate Judge - Albert Greene,
County Clerk - Selina Maes,County Treasurer - Karl Melton, County Commissioner District 3 - Vickie Marquardt

For more information on the constitutional amendments you can go to www.vote411.org

County clerks around the state including local Clerk Robyn Holmes and her team are prepared, and ready, for all aspects of this critically important election from security, the refined processes and chain of custody protocols protecting voters.

Otero County all voters should be reminded was where the county commission refused to certify the 2022 primary election and the New Mexixo constitutional failsafe was triggered for the first time in history which could have sent all three of the then County Commissioners to jail.

This state statute authorizes the New Mexico Secretary of State to file a writ of mandamus, a court order to get a governmental entity to do its statutory job, with the state supreme court.

Shortly after the writ of mandamus was filed, the Otero County Commission held an emergency meeting where it approved the county election canvass on a two-to-one vote with disgraced former Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin as the sole vote against.

Griffin was removed from office and disqualified to hold any elected office in the U.S. based on his conviction for actions taken place during the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection.

The New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office is not worried about county commissions refusing to certify elections this time, SOS spokesman Alex Curtas told the NM Political Report in a story prepared by locally infamous Nicole Maxwell.

“I think we do feel comfortable at the state level because of what happened in Otero County,” Curtas said. “We’ve gone through multiple elections since then without any rumblings about non-certification… I think counties and county election boards…after everything that’s happened in the intervening years since 2020, understand that that duty to certify (elections) is ministerial: they are obligated to do it.”

Curtas added that there is a process for investigation and mitigations for any alleged vote discrepancies.

The New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office posted a list of bond questions and constitutional amendments that will appear on statewide ballots.

These can be seen here. Vote early as our friend Chez Sanchez says, "those who show up decide"...