Early voting remains high in New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Voters may be just 10 days away from Decision 2024, but that’s not stopping New Mexicans from making their voices heard.

The state is not releasing numbers over the weekend, but as of Friday morning more than 324,000 New Mexicans had already voted. This includes both absentee ballots and early in-person voting.

KOB 4 went to two of the early voting sites where one of them had at least 900 voters today alone.

“It’s very convenient and it’s something I always take advantage of,” said Patricia Galindo, an early voter in Bernalillo County.

“Where I work, it’s pretty hard to get to the polls,” said first-time voter Ava Jane Minnick-Lujan.

People exercise their right to vote a few days before election day.

For Galindo, every choice is a family business.

“Since my children have been babies, I’ve been taking them to the polls with me to show them that we have to exercise our right to vote,” she said. “It’s a great way to make a meaningful impact and conversation about issues facing our community, both locally and nationally.”

Another voter was excited to get to the polls for the first time.

“Being able to realize that I could vote this year was pretty amazing,” Minnick-Lujan said.

She said reproductive rights are at the top of her list of importance.

“With what’s going on and how it could all play out, in my opinion, I think this year is so important because we may never, ever be able to vote again, frankly,” Minnick-Lujan said. “But a lot of the choices people make.”

While some New Mexicans spent the day voting, others combined their civic duty with shooting hoops.

“We can get our message across while playing basketball,” Larry Morinia said.

Andreana Thomas of the New Mexico Black Leadership Council said her love of sports gave her the idea to bring a national event to Albuquerque, the Change the Game Basketball Tournament.

“When we think about politics and voting, it’s like you have to do it,” said Thomas, director of positive youth development at the Black Leadership Council. “It feels, it feels like a burden sometimes, versus, that’s your right, just like it’s your right to play basketball, it’s your right to vote, and we want to bring the two together.”

For Thomas, it’s also about encouraging black and brown voters to make their voices heard.

“Our ancestors fought so hard for us to have this right to vote, and now is the time to express it,” Thomas said.

“My family is going to be affected for the next four years, no matter how I like it or how I look at it, the vote I use could be affected and my vote could change something, you know, and people think it’s just a vote. , but a bunch of one vote makes a difference,” Morinia said.

The New Mexico Black Leadership Council was able to get 107 athletes to commit to voting.

People can register to vote the same day they cast their ballot at the polls, even on Election Day. The last day to vote early is November 2, and election day is November 5.