Dave Gallus
November 5th we have Las Cruces City elections for Mayor, three City Council seats (Districts 1, 2 and 4) and one Municipal Judge along with other elections including School Board and Soil and Water Conservation.
There is documented evidence that voter fraud exists in New Mexico. Some voters, in past elections, were only allowed to vote provisionally because an impersonator had already voted in their name. And it is rumored that the true (provisional) ballot was thrown out.
So vote as early as possible and beat the impersonators to the polls.
Early voting begins on October 8th and runs thru November 2nd, at the County Building on Motel Blvd. Monday –Friday 8am to 5pm and on the last Saturday, November 2nd from 10am- 6pm.
Early Voting is also at Voting Convenience Centers beginning on Saturday, October 19th through Saturday, November 2nd, Tuesday- Saturday 11am-7pm.
Early voting ends November 2nd.
Election Day is Tuesday November 5th at the County Bldg. and Voting Convenience Centers, 7am – 7pm.
The new voting procedure for the Las Cruces City elections is called Rank Choice Voting (RCV).
It may seem confusing at first glance, but it really boils down to picking the candidates in order, from like to dislike.
If you don’t fill in all of the Choice blanks, your vote may not count. Think of it as voting for your favorite and voting against candidates you dislike.
Candidate A I love this person.
Candidate B I like this person.
Candidate C I like some, but not all of this person’s ideas.
Candidate D I don’t like most of this person’s ideas.
Candidate E I don’t like any of this person’s ideas and their past history proves it, but there is a worse candidate.
Candidate F I absolutely do not want this person elected!
You could consider the A through F a grading system:
A…being Excellent
F…being an utter failure
So…
1st Choice = this person I really want to see elected.
2nd Choice = this person is not my 1st choice but I wouldn’t mind seeing elected.
3rd Choice = not my 1st or 2nd choice but has some good ideas and not a bad history.
4th Choice = I don’t want this person elected but of the remaining choices, there are 2 worse.
5th Choice = I can’t stand this person but there is one worse than this one.
6th Choice = This is the worst candidate!
I start with my favorites and grade them in order, from like to dislike.
When I get to the ones I dislike, I start from the bottom (In this case, my 6th choice); the one I dislike the most gets the last position and I work up from there.
You should have only 1 name per choice position, but make sure every choice position is filled in.
If you don’t fill in all of the choice blanks, the one you dislike the most may get elected because you failed to make the choice between the lesser of the evils.
I suggest that if Rank Choice Voting (RCV) seems confusing, or getting to the voting locations is inconvenient, consider requesting an Absentee Ballot. In the case of RCV this will give you time to choose your candidates in the convenience of your own home and at your leisure, instead of being pressured at the voting booth. You may request that a trusted friend, one who is more knowledgeable in this new voting process, help you fill out the ballot. If you would like help, I will be glad to assist you. ([email protected])
If you are a registered Dona Ana County voter, you are entitled to vote by absentee ballot. Requests for an absentee ballot application may be made by contacting the County Clerk’s Office:
County Clerk, Amanda Lopez Askin, 575-647-7421, or go to [email protected]
You can also go to this web site and print out an application for an absentee ballot.
http://go.issachar.info/absentee
Don’t delay in requesting an absentee ballot, if that is your choice.
After completing the ballot you can mail it in to the County Clerk or drop it off at the County Building.
It may seem odd to contact the County for a City election but it is because the County is in charge of running this upcoming City Election.
Please Note: Branigan Library is no longer a voting location; you will be directed to City Hall (right next door and across the parking lot from the Library for Early Voting and Election Day Voting.)