Candidates make final push to get people to polls

Posted: May 31, 2020 / 06:20 PM MDT / Updated: Jun 1, 2020 / 08:26 AM MDT

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – This weekend, TV and online political ads were a part of the final campaign push for those running in Tuesday’s election.

UNM Political Science Professor Gabe Sanchez said voters likely already know at this point who they’re voting for, so candidates are less likely to push their message out to sway voters, but instead are working to get people to go to the polls.

“I think there’s a wide number of New Mexicans out there that requested their absentee ballot, haven’t got it yet, they might be confused. ‘Do I go to the polls, do I still wait?’ I think for candidates, this final push is all about education,” Sanchez said. “Candidates are obviously going to spend what they have, so I think for New Mexicans who haven’t made up their minds yet, they’re going to see a lot of TV ads.”

Bernalillo County Clerk Linda Stover recommends not to mail in your absentee ballot this close to the primary, but you can still vote at the polls on June 2 or fill out your absentee ballot and drop it off at a drop box at any polling convenience center before 7 p.m. Tuesday.

So far, approximately 75,000 absentee ballots have been returned, which Stover is calling unprecedented for a primary election.

“These people who are voting have never voted absentee before in their life. It’s because of the pandemic and we’ve had such a response,” she explained. “But, people have learned and they’ve cooperated.”

For the list of polling locations and hours, click here.