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LAS CRUCES - A proposal in the state Legislature would make voting easier for Do-a Ana County residents and save the county money, County Clerk Lynn Ellins said.
Ellins, a Democrat, said he's backing the measure, which would allow counties to use so-called voting centers on election day.
The idea, Ellins said, is that a voter could visit any of the designated polling places on election day and cast a ballot for all the races specific to his or her own precinct. For instance, someone could live in Hatch and cast a viable vote in Sunland Park.
"Under this consolidated precinct concept, you can go to any location," he said.
Now, for primary and general elections, Ellins said, the county does consolidate its 115 geographic precincts into 67 polling places. On election day, it's possible for someone to vote at a polling place that doesn't match their home precinct. But to do that, the person must use a provisional ballot - a type of ballot that's counted and verified after the election.
However, Ellins said, depending on the polling place a voter shows up at to cast a provisional ballot, they might not get the right slate of candidates. He said they could, for instance, end up voting in the wrong state representative race, and their vote for that candidate would be disqualified.
Ellins
The proposal, Senate Bill 337, wouldn't mandate that counties use the voting center model, but it would give them the option, said state Sen. Howie Morales, D-Silver City, who sponsored the legislation. Morales pointed out that the change would make election day similar to the system that's currently used during the month-long early voting period, in which voters can show up to any of a county's sites and get the proper ballot for their precinct.
"We tend to have somewhat of a model in place already," he said. The bill "makes it more crisp of an election."
Now, Ellins said, the county must hire a full slate of poll workers for each precinct, even when the precincts are consolidated into one location. But under the proposal, he'd have to staff workers at just 30 locations, spread throughout the county. He estimated that would save about $90,000 - mostly in poll worker pay - during a primary and general election cycle.
"It's a huge cost savings," he said.
Morales and Ellins said the proposal would help because it would reduce the number of provisional ballots cast. Verifying such ballots is a time-consuming process that often delays the overall election results.
"I really think it's a win-win situation for the voter, the county putting together the election and the candidates," Morales said.
In November, 47,944 registered voters in Do-a Ana County turned out, county clerk's office numbers. That amounts to about 48 percent of the 100,660 people who were eligible to vote. In all, nearly 1,300 provisional ballots were cast during the election.
Do-a Ana County Commission Chairwoman Dolores Salda-a-Caviness said Monday she hadn't heard about the measure, but, on the surface, it sounds positive.
"Anything that is going to help and smooth the voting process, I'm all for it," she said. "And if, during the process, we can save some money, all the better."
Morales said he expects the bill to be considered in its first committee this week.
Ellins said the measure has been backed by the state county clerk's association, as well as the New Mexico Association of Counties. Even so, because it's a first-time proposal, he guesses it has about a 60 percent chance of clearing the Legislature this year.
The law change would allow school districts and counties to use vote centers for their elections, Ellins said. But the measure wouldn't apply to municipal elections, he said.
S.B. 337 was introduced Feb. 1, according to the New Mexico Legislature website. Morales noted that Republican Rep. Conrad James, R-Albuquerque, has agreed to support it in the House.
Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443
