近距离内射合集

SANTA FE 鈥� Early and absentee voting are set to begin Tuesday for the June primary election that鈥檚 a bit different than any previous election in New Mexico history.

This year鈥檚 primary election will be the first in which independent voters, or those who decline to state a party affiliation, will be able to cast a ballot without having to select a major party affiliation.

Specifically, such voters will be able to request either a Republican or Democratic ballot but will not be bound by their decision in future elections.

The semi-open primary system, which was signed into law last year by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, could bolster turnout rates in a state in which only 25.2% of registered voters cast a ballot in New Mexico鈥檚 2022 primary election. The turnout rate was even lower two years ago.

Bernalillo County Clerk Michelle Kavanaugh said Monday that letters were sent out to all 123,000 independent voters who live in the county, informing them about the new system.

鈥淲e鈥檝e tried really hard for the last year to prepare voters for this change,鈥� Kavanaugh told the Journal.

But she acknowledged uncertainty about how many independent voters will ultimately participate in the primary election, saying, 鈥淭his is uncharted territory for us.鈥�

The number of independent voters has steadily increased in New Mexico since 1990, with their ranks growing at an even faster rate since the state implemented automatic voter registration last summer.

As of the end of April, there were more than 378,000 independent voters registered across New Mexico 鈥� or roughly 26% of the state鈥檚 total voting population, according to .

Alll statewide offices are up for election this year and several seats have drawn contested primary races. That includes the open contest to pick New Mexico鈥檚 next governor, as Lujan Grisham is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term. She will step down at year鈥檚 end.

Meanwhile, several policy changes have been made in recent years to make it easier to vote in New Mexico, including a same-day voting registration system that allows eligible state residents to register in person and cast a ballot up through Election Day.

But that system also caused delays in the 2024 general election, as large amounts of voters at some polling places caused technical issues with processing same-day voter registration applications.

Secretary of State鈥檚 Office spokeswoman Lindsey Bachman said Monday that state election officials have worked since that election to improve the secure application system used to register voters at polling locations.

She also said there have been 53,696 absentee ballot applications that have been accepted for this year鈥檚 primary election. Such absentee ballots can be counted in New Mexico as long as they鈥檙e received before polls close on Election Day.

Dan Boyd covers state government and politics for the Journal in Santa Fe. Follow him on Twitter at @DanBoydNM or reach him via email at dboyd@abqjournal.com.