AARP New Mexico Encourages Absentee Voting for June Primary

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With the spread of COVID-19 still a concern, the New Mexico 2020 primary election, scheduled for Tuesday, June 2, will look different this year.

While the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled that a traditional election should move forward, to ensure everyone’s safety, in-person polling places may be limited resulting in the possibility of larger crowds and longer lines.

To this end, AARP New Mexico, a non-partisan organization, is encouraging people to take the opportunity to vote absentee reducing exposure to the Coronavirus by people staying safely home.

“Casting your vote is extremely important and we want to make sure everyone is taking part in the election process,” said Beau Ballinger, AARP New Mexico Interim State Director. “But we also want to make sure that people are taking every precaution to stay safe – especially those who are in high risk categories. Voting absentee seems the best option to ensure both these goals.”

“Again, we encourage people to take advantage of this opportunity. Your vote is very important but no one should risk their health and safety to exercise their right to vote,” Ballinger said.

To address the safety concerns, the State Supreme Court directed all County Clerks to begin mailing out applications for an absentee ballot to all registered voters of the state’s major parties: Republican, Democrat and Libertarian. You must be a registered member of those three parties to vote in the New Mexico primary.

While waiting to receive an application for an absentee ballot, now is the time for voters to check their registration. To make sure your information, including your mailing address, is correct, go to the New Mexico Secretary of State’s website at https://www.sos.state.nm.us/voting-and-elections/voter-information/ People can proactively request an absentee ballot, rather than waiting for the application to be mailed and can be done online at that same site.