ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Some people were hitting the polls Friday for early voting in our state’s primary, but it’s not quite the turnout that election officials were hoping to see.

You still have time to cast your vote early if you’re registered to a political party. You’ll have to do it in person though because it’s too late to mail in an absentee ballot before Tuesday’s primary.

“Super easy. My last name, again, is a weird spelling, so it was a bit of a thing there. But once he figured it out, then it took like two minutes maybe, and I was in and out,” said Daniel Lynds, an early voter. 

That’s how Lynds described his early voting experience Friday. He says he likes to cast his vote early to make sure his voice is heard. 

“Well, if you don’t vote, you don’t have a voice really, and what happens around you. So I think, especially when it comes to local politics, it’s really important to vote for who you want to speak for yourself,” said Lynds. 

Early voting began in mid-May, and this Saturday is the last day to cast your ballot early. Bernalillo County Clerk Linda Stover says she’s been very disappointed with the early turnout. 

“Early voting is not where it should be. Right now, with our early vote and our absentee vote counted, we’re only at 9.88%. That’s 31,843 people that have cast a ballot out of 463,000 plus that could, if they would go to the polls over the next three days,” said Stover. 

KOB 4 asked how that compares to the last general election. 

“That’s apples and oranges. Because the last presidential primary, we were in a pandemic, and we had for a pandemic we had a really large turnout. So we’re a little bit lower than it was then, and we have no reason. I mean, we don’t have a pandemic,” Stover said. 

So far, she says 537 people in Bernalillo registered to vote the same day. You just need your photo ID and proof of residence. She’s hoping the turnout on Election Day is much better.

“There’s lots going on nationally, but I always look at the local races. The top of the ticket is the top of the ticket. And right now in New Mexico, we don’t have a lot of choices. But you got a lot of choices in there in the middle. The legislator, every representative, every senator is up for election this year,” said Stover. 

This Saturday is the last day for early voting. People have to be registered as a Democrat, Republican or Libertarian political party to vote in that party’s primary election. 

If you’re one of the thousands who are not registered with a major party, state law says you can change your registration at the polling site. If you want to change it back, you can do that anytime after you vote.