Voting: Git ’Er Done!

\ Oct 25, 2012

3 min read

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 6, but that’s no reason to wait. Polls are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays through Nov. 3. See a map of the 17 early polling locations at bernco.gov/evl or call 243-VOTE (8683). For further details, go to bernco.gov/mvi.

Vote From Your Couch

Absentee voting started Oct. 9. The final day to submit your absentee paper ballot is Tuesday, Nov. 6. Absentee voting is a two-step process, so you need to be sure you allow time to request and complete both the application and the ballot itself. Here’s how:

• First, request an application by calling 243-VOTE, visiting bernco.gov/mvi or emailing absentee@bernco.gov. Return the application within 48 hours. Your ballot should be on its way in the mail.

• Once you’ve got it, complete it and return your absentee paper ballot to the County Clerk. Ballots can be dropped off at any one of the early voting centers or must be returned to the County Clerk’s Office (by mail or in person) by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

• Track your absentee ballot at bernco.gov/mvi.

There’s No Wrong Place on Election Day

You can go to any of the county’s 69 Election Day convenience centers between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. You don’t have to stick with a particular polling location in your neighborhood.

To find a site near you, call 243-VOTE (8683), visit benrco.gov/mvi, or use the Clerk’s new Google app on your smartphone. Download it at Apple’s App Store or the Android Play Store for free. Just search for “BernCo,” “Bernalillo County” or “My Vote Center.” If you don’t have those services, you can get it right from the bernco.gov home page. There it’s called the Wait Time Feature for My Vote Center. It’ll show you not only the nearest polling location, but how long the wait is.

You DO NOT need an ID to vote. All you have to do is verbally provide your name, address and birthyear.

(If this is the first time you’ve registered in New Mexico and you did it by mail without including a copy of a photo ID, you may have to show something at the polls. That could be a driver’s license, utility bill, bank statement or government document that shows your name and address in the county—with or without a photo.)

Scope a sample ballot at bernco.gov/mvi.

Problems?

Say something goes hinky at the polls, and a poll worker won’t let you vote or demands to see ID. Call one of the voter protection hotlines at:

English

1-866-OUR-VOTE

(1-866-687-8683)

Spanish

1-888-VE-Y-VOTA

(1-888-839-8682)

The nonpartisan hotlines are set up by Common Cause New Mexico and the Lawyer’s Committee. They’re already in action and will work if you’re voting early, too.

If you didn’t register in time, you can always get ahead of the game for 2013 when the city will be choosing its next mayor.