On the night of Nov. 8, New Mexicans could curl up in bed knowing that our election was mostly over. Whether we liked the results or not, we knew what most of them were.<\/p>\n
We had survived the day without violence or major threats to disrupt election results.<\/p>\n
Congressional District 2 remained uncertain for a couple of days, but when the totals were in, the losing candidate conceded with dignity.<\/p>\n
Some other states did not finish so promptly. As you know, vote counting in several states went on for days. It took eight days to confirm the Republican majority in the US House of Representatives. Political observers held their breath waiting to see what kinds of challenges \u2013 evidence-based or otherwise \u2013 might be mounted against the results.<\/p>\n
Though voters are tired of thinking about the election, maybe a few points should be noted before we put this election finally to bed. It\u2019s important to know that all those delays were not irregularities but the result of careful counting in close races, especially in states that have extended deadlines.<\/p>\n
In New Mexico, we have procedures that help the count go quickly. Other states have different rules.<\/p>\n
One of our rules is that mail-in ballots can in some cases be opened even before Election Day. Not tallied, however! Nobody gets an advance peek at the results.<\/p>\n
Mail-in ballots require handling that takes time. Remember, there are two envelopes, outer and inner. Participants from both major parties have to be present to open the outer envelope, confirm that the ballot is legitimate, and then separate the envelopes so the voter\u2019s confidentiality is preserved.<\/p>\n
In New Mexico the deadline for mail-in ballots to be received is 7 p.m. on Election Day. That makes the voter responsible to mail the ballot at least a few days early or to hand-deliver it to a voting location. A few days before the election, there were reminders on local TV that it\u2019s too late to mail, so if you have a ballot, you should drop it off in person. A New Mexico resident voting from out of state has to mail it early enough to meet the deadline.<\/p>\n
Military and overseas voters have special status. They can choose to receive their ballots by email, print the ballot, fill it out, scan it, and send it back by email. They must sign a waiver giving up confidentiality, because someone must handle that ballot directly. Again, New Mexico requires the ballot to be returned by Election Day.<\/p>\n
Other states have different rules and varying deadlines.<\/p>\n
According to the National Council of State Legislatures, 30\u00a0states require absentee\/mail ballots returned by mail to be received on or before Election Day. Nineteen\u00a0states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C. will accept and count a mailed ballot if it is received several days after Election Day as long as it\u2019s postmarked on or before (in some states, only before) Election Day.<\/p>\n
So if the count in a particular race is close, and the number of ballots not yet counted could make a difference in the result, it\u2019s easy to see why some races remained undecided for more than a week.<\/p>\n
California had several Congressional seats that took more than a week to determine. California\u2019s deadline for receiving ballots is seven days after the election, as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.<\/p>\n
New Mexico\u2019s Election Day deadline makes it easier and less suspenseful for our county clerks, their staffs, volunteers, anxious candidates and all the citizens who want to go to sleep. Our deadline is more difficult for out-of-state and overseas voters including New Mexicans serving in the military. The fact that other states have chosen a more generous deadline doesn\u2019t mean there\u2019s anything wrong.<\/p>\n
Triple Spaced Again, \u00a9 New Mexico News Services 2022<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On the night of Nov. 8, New Mexicans could curl up in bed knowing that our election was mostly over. Whether we liked the results or not, we knew what most of them were. We had survived the day without … Continue reading