Voter turned away in possible ID mixup

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Ralph Perdomo wasn't given his right to vote; he had to earn it.

The 63-year old Belize native came to the United States in the 1960s and didn't become a citizen until decades later.

"I had to go through a lot of hoops to get my citizenship," Perdomo said. "It wasn't easy."

Perdomo's been an enthusiastic voter and was excited to cast his ballot with his girlfriend on day one of expanded early voting.

But when the two got to a voting center at Paseo del Norte NW and Golf Course Road, Perdomo got a rude surprise.

"When they pulled up my name, it showed I had already voted, and I definitely, no way, no how did I vote," Perdomo said.

More online:  Crowds pack early voting center

Perdomo became worried someone had stolen his identity, but Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver says that's not the only thing that could've caused this.

"There's a lot of reasons that could be, not the least of which is a clerical error or a technical error of some sort," Toulouse Oliver said.

In Perdomo's case, the clerk is looking into whether Perdomo's adult son, who has the same name and same address as his father, had his vote credited to his father.

Regardless, Toulouse Oliver says Perdomo or anyone else who runs into a similar situation has another option.

"That's why we have a provisional-ballot option," Toulouse Oliver said. "The voter can cast that provisional ballot, and we can look into the situation during the post-election canvass process, evaluate exactly what happened and then qualify and count that ballot if it deserves to be counted."

Perdomo says he was offered a provisional ballot but turned it down while the clerk looks into what happened.

Albuquerque has a voter-ID requirement for citywide elections, but some critics have pointed to New Mexico's lack of a voter-ID law as opening the door to voter fraud. During the last legislative session two Republican state representatives introduced bills that would make voter ID a state requirement, but both died before they could get out of committee.