Menu
New Mexico News Port
Journalism and Innovation from The University of New Mexico
  • Creative NM
  • Curious NM
  • Enjoy NM
  • Green NM
  • Justice NM
  • Healthy NM
  • NM Voices
  • Political NM
  • Raising NM
  • About Us
Close Menu
untitled
November 8 2016

Voting ‘relatively calm’ in Bernalillo County on Election Day

Political New Mexico

 

By Brittany Perez, Maya Holt and Kyra Begay / NM NewsPort

Some voters had better experiences than others while voting in Bernalillo County this Election Day, but overall, county officials say, the ballot-casting process has gone relatively smoothly.

Joey Keefe, spokesperson for the Bernalillo County County Clerk’s Office, said voter turnout was steady since polls opened at 7:00 a.m. in New Mexico. But, Keefe says, there has been a lower than expected voter turnout for Election Day.

“I think today has been different than we anticipated — we had a lot of traffic for early voting, and that typically indicates a heavy traffic load for Election Day,” Keefe said “But so far we haven’t had as many as we anticipated so we are eager to see what the next few hours hold.”

Keefe said that as of 4:00 Tuesday, 50,624 voters had turned out at polling locations across Bernalillo County.

“It’s been an exciting day, overall, and the general buzz of the office has been relatively calm,” Keefe said.

Some New Mexicans satisfied with their voting experience

Matthew Kletecka (right) and Damon Kletecka (left) voted outside of the Bernalillo County Voting Center on 6500 Holly Ave. They say they were excited to have voted.
Matthew Kletecka (right) and Damon Kletecka (left) voted outside of the Bernalillo County Voting Center on 6500 Holly Ave. They say they were excited to have voted.

In northeast Albuquerque, Damon Kletecka, 43, and his son, Matthew Kletecka, 19, left the voting booths with smiles on their faces, saying their voting experience was pleasant.

“I didn’t have any problems with voting today, it was easy and organized.” said Damon, 43. “I think we are both pretty confident in our decision.”

Kletecka says he voted today because he has never seen a reason not to vote in the presidential elections.

Another voter, Sophia Gettis, 32, says she thought the voting process was well managed.

“I had an easy time coming here, and I had an easy time voting. Everything was very organized,” Gettis said.

Gettis said she was confident in voting for her candidate of choice this election season.

But, not everyone was so confident.

A voter who wishes to remain anonymous talked about her voting history. “I’ve voted in the last three elections, and each I’ve been very confident in,” she said. But when asked if she felt confident this voting period, she replied, “Heck no, anyone who believes they are 100 percent confident is out of their mind.”

Some voters dissatisfied with polling locations

Some Albuquerque citizens went to Eldorado High School to vote on Election Day. The location has seen a steady flow of voters coming in.
Some Albuquerque citizens went to Eldorado High School to vote on Election Day. The location has seen a steady flow of voters throughout the day.

New Mexico resident Niva Lund, 39, went to Eldorado High School to vote. She said her time voting was confusing and unpleasant. “There wasn’t enough signage to know where to go, I got lost,” Lund said. “Another thing was the workers didn’t explain to me anything. I didn’t know the voting paper was double-sided. So thank God I flipped it around to see.”

Lund says she also didn’t like the amount of sound in the gymnasium. “The workers didn’t even tell people to quiet their phones. How am I supposed to read with all those distractions?” Lund said.

Students have been turning out to vote at UNM

Cassandra Tofoya (left) and Hannah Perkins (right) stand outside the ballroom encouraging student voters to spread the word on where to vote here at the University of New Mexico. Some UNM students say the location is convenient for them
Cassandra Tofoya (left) and Hannah Perkins (right) spread the word on where to vote at the University of New Mexico. Some UNM students say the SUB location is convenient for them.

Election day has been attracting students to take breaks from their classes and study sessions to go vote.

Marissa Archuleta, a student at the University of New Mexico, stood in line with other students in the Student Union Building.  Archuleta said campus voting is a “good idea and very convenient.”

UNM students Rodrigo Llanes and his friend Mica Montoya expressed a similar sentiment. Montoya said the UNM voting location was on his way home from his dance class. He said this was much easier than walking to the voting location at Lyndon B. Johnson middle school, where he had considered voting

Hannah Perkins, a campaign organizer for NMPIRG, a public interest advocacy group, has been working to get the word out about where to vote. Perkins and fellow volunteers were posted around campus to encourage student turnout… and to spread the word to their friends.

“There’s a lot more people than I thought!” Perkins said.

Follow Brittany Perez, Maya Holt and Kyra Begay on Twitter.

Thousands of voters turn up early, but many will not turn up at all New Mexico Republicans Cheer Despite Clinton Winning the State

Related Posts

Political New Mexico, Top story

Photo Story: 2018 Albuquerque Election Watch Parties

Photos by Amy Byres and Anna Padilla / NM News Port

AA031303

from our partners, Political New Mexico

Legislative Candidates Spent More than $10m

  By Sandra Fish / NM In Depth Legislative candidates raised $12 million and spent more than $10.3 million during the 2016 election cycle. Republicans lost their state House majority despite outraising and outspending Democrats overall. Democratic Senate candidates outspent their GOP opponents while increasing their majority. even though Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez lost […]

screen-shot-2016-09-29-at-1-53-41-pm

Political New Mexico

New Mexico’s New Legislature Faces Immediate Budget Battle

  By Joseph Buck and Jake Schwanitz / NM News Port The dust from Election Day has settled and New Mexicans now know who will be in positions of power in the New Mexico state legislature. Democrats returned to their familiar place as the majority party in the New Mexico House of Representatives. Republicans watched […]

News Port Named Best Independent Online Student News Site!

photo of award certificate

Congratulations to News Port! The judges for the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence Awards named this site its “Best Independent Online Student Publication” for 2019. Read about our exceptional regional and national honors! 

SUPPORT THE PORT!

Can you believe we just turned 5 years old?! If you’d like to help us get to age 10, please support The Port! You’ll help grow student reporters committed to high quality, ethical journalism for New Mexico.  Donate to the Fund for Journalism Innovation at the UNM Foundation!

Search the News Port Archives

@NMNewsPort on Twitter

Tweets by @@NMNewsPort

How are you experiencing COVID-19? We want to hear from you.

Help us report on the coronavirus outbreak by sharing a tip or personal story. We’ll never identify you without your permission.

FEATURED PARTNER

Check out our news partner New Mexico In Depth and their coverage of criminal justice, politics and other statewide issues.

FEATURED PARTNER

Searchlight New Mexico is a non-partisan, nonprofit news organization dedicated to investigative reporting and innovative data journalism.

FEATURED PARTNER

Visit the venerable Daily Lobo, our reporting collaborator on issues that affect the University of New Mexico.

Back To Top
New Mexico News Port
Follow, Share and Engage with NM News Port!
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • Creative NM
  • Curious NM
  • Enjoy NM
  • Green NM
  • Justice NM
  • Healthy NM
  • NM Voices
  • Political NM
  • Raising NM
  • About Us
Comodo SSL
New Mexico News Port is an independent journalism lab based at the UNM Communication and Journalism Department. Our mission is to support the state's local news ecosystem through innovation, collaboration and publication -- with students. Contact: nmnewsport@gmail.com