New Mexico's statewide total has climbed past 238,000 as early voting continues, with Doña Ana County reporting nearly 12,800 additional ballots since Monday

Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News

LAS CRUCES - More than 21,800 Doña Ana County residents have already voted in New Mexico's 2026 general election, with 10 days remaining before Election Day, according to figures released Saturday by the New Mexico Secretary of State's Office.

The county has recorded 21,876 ballots through early in-person and absentee voting as of the Oct. 24 report. That represents an increase of 12,796 ballots since Monday, when the county's total stood at 9,080.

Statewide, 238,732 ballots have been cast, up from 97,494 reported Monday. The increase of 141,238 ballots represents growth of nearly 145% over the five-day reporting interval.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Early voting accounts for most county ballots

In Doña Ana County, 17,422 ballots have been cast through early in-person voting, accounting for approximately 79.6% of the county's total.

Another 4,454 ballots have been cast by absentee voting, representing about 20.4% of ballots recorded so far.

The county reported 7,956 early in-person ballots and 1,124 absentee ballots on Monday. Since then, the early in-person total has increased by 9,466 ballots, while the absentee total has risen by 3,330.

Across New Mexico, voters have cast 191,781 early in-person ballots and 46,951 absentee ballots.

The figures reflect ballots recorded through the reporting period, not final election turnout. They also do not indicate what percentage of eligible or registered voters has participated.

Voting totals by party registration

Registered Democrats account for the largest share of ballots cast so far in Doña Ana County, followed by registered Republicans and voters who declined to state a party affiliation.

According to the Secretary of State's figures, the county's ballots break down as follows:

• Democratic: 12,518
• Republican: 5,326
• Decline to state: 3,889
• Other parties combined: 143

The Democratic total has increased by 7,093 ballots since Monday, when 5,425 had been recorded. The Republican count has grown by 3,172 from Monday's 2,154, while the decline-to-state total has increased by 2,432 from 1,457.

The remaining 143 ballots were cast by voters registered with other political parties.

These figures identify voters by party registration. They do not indicate which candidates those voters selected, and they should not be interpreted as election results or predictions.

Statewide, registered Democrats account for 132,591 ballots cast, compared with 68,120 by registered Republicans and 36,284 by voters who declined to state a party affiliation. Another 1,737 ballots were cast by voters registered with other parties.

Absentee requests and same-day registration

Doña Ana County has recorded 9,130 absentee ballot requests, compared with 8,880 as of Monday's report, an increase of 250.

Statewide, absentee requests have reached 89,131, up from 86,073 on Monday.

The number of absentee requests should not be confused with ballots cast. Requests represent applications for absentee ballots, while the voting totals reflect ballots recorded as cast.

Saturday's data also show 228 same-day voter registrations in Doña Ana County and 2,246 statewide.

The same-day registration figures are reported separately from ballots cast and should not be added to turnout totals. They also do not establish whether an individual registered for the first time or updated an existing registration.

Final stretch before Election Day

The latest figures come as New Mexico enters the final full week of voting before the Nov. 3 general election.

Doña Ana County recorded an average increase of approximately 2,559 ballots per calendar day between the Oct. 19 and Oct. 24 reports. That figure describes the change between the two reporting dates, not the number of ballots cast on any particular day.

With voting continuing through the end of the early voting period and Election Day itself, the figures offer an interim snapshot of participation rather than a final measure of turnout.

Damien Willis is founder and editor of Organ Mountain News. If you have a personal story to share or a lead we should follow up on, reach out at OrganMountainNews@gmail.com or connect with him on X at @damienwillis.