With Election Day only 4 weeks away, the League of Women Voters of Central New Mexico just released their guide to help New Mexican voters choose candidates and understand proposed constitutional amendments and bonds.
Each election the local branch of the League of Women Voters produces a voting guide each election as an open resource for voters to learn about candidates and other ballot choices. The league doesn’t edit any candidates' responses and allows them to answer questions in their own words.
“It is strictly nonpartisan,” she said. “We never take a stance on a candidate or on a political party. So it's very neutral, and the best way, we feel like, for voters to get information about the candidates and what they really think about the issues and why they're running.”
Starlyn Brown, President of the League of Women Voters of Central New Mexico said there is a growing effort in recent years to help New Mexicans become better informed about upcoming elections.
“So much of New Mexico is rural that we need people in all parts of the state to be educating voters, explaining why it's important, and helping them get to the polls or helping them request a mail-in ballot if they can't get there, because rural New Mexico is where a lot of the issues actually are, and they aren't always able to connect to technology, so an online resource isn't going to help them,” she said.
Brown says New Mexicans need to make educated choices so they know who’s representing them.
“It’s very important to vote for who is going to make decisions that influence your life every day,” she said. “You know, ‘how's your money being spent?’ Who do you want making decisions about, you know, what goes on in your community and at the federal level?”
She also recommends checking your voter registration at nmvote.gov before you go to the polls. New registrations and corrections can be made online, at county clerks’ offices, or at polling places on election day.
“Occasionally glitches happen, and you don't want to be surprised when you go to vote,” she said. “Make sure your address is accurate. And then I would also really encourage voters to go and get a sample ballot, and then they will know what they're actually going to see on the ballot.”
Voter guides are available both digitally and printed at polling places, libraries and community centers in Bernalillo, Sandoval, Valencia and Torrance counties.
Support for this coverage comes from Thornburg Foundation.
