Democrats continue to outpace Republicans in statewide turnout, with absentee ballots accounting for a significant share of votes already cast

Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico

This article was originally published by Source New Mexico.

One week before the June 2 primary election, just over 6.6% of the New Mexico electorate has cast ballots in early voting, which ends Saturday.

As of Tuesday, data released by the New Mexico Secretary of State’s office showed 94,930 voters have cast ballots in the primary election, with one-third voting by mail.

Tuesday marked the last day county clerks recommend sending ballots in the mail, and they urge voters to thereafter drop them off in official drop boxes, polling sites or local offices. County clerks must receive absentee ballots by 7 p.m. on June 2.

“This is the week many voters start heading to the polls and returning their absentee ballots,” Bernalillo County Clerk Michelle Kavanaugh said in a statement Tuesday. “The busier locations will see increasing turnout each day, so the sooner you vote, the easier and faster it will be.”

The primary election features partisan contests up and down the ballot, including for governor, secretary of state and commissioner of public lands.

Registered Democrats have cast the majority of ballots, with just over 57,000 voting so far, followed by nearly 29,000 Republicans and approximately 8,800 “decline-to-state” voters. So far, only one member of the Libertarian Party — which lost major party status in the state following the 2024 election — has voted early in the primary election statewide, in Doña Ana County.  New Mexico’s other two minor parties, the Forward Party and the Green Party, have had 123 voters participate so far.

Sparsely populated Harding County, with only 567 registered voters as of April, has the highest turnout, with 14% of voters participating, double the average 7% turnout in most other counties — including the state’s most populous, Bernalillo County.

This is the first year that independent “decline-to-state” voters can cast ballots in major party primaries for Democratic or Republican candidates without changing their registration first. So far, of the more than 8,800 DTS voters who have cast early ballots, approximately 77% of them opted to participate in the Democratic primary statewide. Of New Mexico’s 33 counties,  only Chaves and Lea counties had more independent voters opting for the  Republican primary ballot.

Early voting locations will close on May 30. Polls will reopen for election day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 2.

Danielle Prokop covers the environment and local government for Source New Mexico.