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Early voting numbers from Doña Ana County
As of Saturday, 9.5 percent of Republicans and 3.5 percent of Democrats had voted early and absentee in Doña Ana County.
Saturday was the last day of early voting. It’s likely that most absentee ballots that will be cast have already been cast, but absentee ballots can be returned to the county clerk’s office until 7 p.m. Tuesday.
According to the clerk’s office, 2,633 Republicans – out of 27,645 registered GOP voters – had voted early and absentee as of Saturday, while 1,742 Democrats – out of 49,045 registered – had voted.
It’s no surprise that more Republicans have voted early. They have a high-profile gubernatorial primary, while Democrats do not. And the candidate leading in the polls of that GOP primary, Susana Martinez, is Doña Ana County’s district attorney.
In addition, there’s some speculation that the energy that has caused the national mood to swing back to the right could affect voter turnout in favor of Republicans.
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Those who do not register to vote (about half of the elgible population) and those who are registered to vote but do not vote (perhaps 70%) are expressing themselves clearly.
Heath, you fail to see the signifiance of the early and absentee GOP primary vote totals this year. If you go back to what the Dems and GOP each got as far as early and absentee in previous party primary cycles in Dona Ana County you see that the Dems still beat the GOP every time. This is the first cycle in a long, long time, possibley decades, in which the Dona Ana GOP primary early and absentee total is above what the Dems got early and absentee in their primary. That’s significant.
One would try and wave this off as being part of a ‘GOP year’ potentially. HOWEVER, voter turn out is actually down in most of the rest of the state from what is being said. If the higher than usual Dona Ana GOP early and absentee vote totals for this primary were ‘environmental’ then the rest of the state GOP early and absentee vote rates would also be up but they aren’t.
It helps that the one of the top tier GOP candidates is from Dona Ana County, no question. But candidate inspiration only gets so much. The 2008 GOP primary turn out in Dona Ana was higher than 04 and 06 numbers because of the Pearce/Wilson primary. But, even that candidate driven surge was only so much. Candidates from an area do help increase turn out, but, this turn out also had another MAJOR cause….the county GOP. I know the local county Republican Party has done a great effort in phone banks, robo calls, precinct targeting and etc. Their phone banks were going every night for the past month. They had well targeted robo calls and just good ol fashioned drive. Persistance by any local party to call, call, call and etc drives up votes….anywhere. The local GOP worked and organized for a big GOP primary early and absentee effort and it looks like their efforts paid off immensley.
This, and also that a local GOPer was on the top of the GOP ticket, helped produce a new record for the Dona Ana GOP and even local politics.
The total number of GOP early votes cast in this primary is MORE than what the Democrats did in early voting for the 2008 Democrat primary when it was a Democrat year with Obama on the top of the ticket. I don’t know about you but that’s significant.
Isn’t this figure that 10% of registered R’s have voted early as of Saturday consistent with the prediction that this election will have a 30% voter turnout? 10% + another 5% by Tuesday night absentee/early voting + 15% voting day ballots cast?
It is always annoying when so many people of both parties complain about politicians or government yet do not vote. People think “He’s unopposed in the primary”. Government starts locally, not in Washington. So what if it is a primary, at least show your support for your party by taking the time to vote.