Live: 42 voting convenience stations open in Doña Ana County for Primary Election

Editor's note: This live blog will be updated throughout June 4 with notes and scenes from the Primary Election in Doña Ana County. Please check back with the Sun-News to keep up on what's happening election day. Got an election day news tip? Email news@lcsun-news.com.

9:45 p.m. Final posting for June 2024 Primary Election

Election workers kept busy Tuesday evening at the Doña Ana County Elections Bureau Warehouse as results from the various voting centers in the 2024 Primary Election were presented to be counted.

Visit www.lcsun-news.com on June 5 to read about the election results.

7 p.m.

Voting locations in Doña Ana County have closed.

To follow results of the 2024 Primary Election in Doña Ana County visit https://electionresults.sos.nm.gov/. The Sun-News will be sharing results as the ballots are processed and counted.

6:30 p.m.

With a half hour until polls close across the state, there was not a line at City Hall, where voting has been steady, but slow.

According to an election worker, 735 ballots were cast at the City Hall polling location, including the two weeks of early voting in May. There were 575 ballots cast on Tuesday.

The longest line on Election Day, election workers said, consisted of five or six people.

5:45 p.m.

Final vote count of the night from the Secretary of State before polls close at 7 p.m.

There have been 205,549 ballots cast in the state.

There have been 13,204 total ballots cast as of Tuesday evening in Doña Ana County and 2,770 total absentee ballots cast.

There are 94,763 eligible voters in Doña Ana County.

5:33 p.m.

Voters who are still in possession of their absentee ballots still have time to drop them off at any of the voting locations in the County or any of the nine secured drop locations, said Caroline Zamora, chief deputy county clerk.

Any absentee ballot that is mailed now however is not valid.

Also still an option for voters is registering to vote and changing from a minor to a major party, which is required to participate in the New Mexico Primary Election. Those too, can also be done at any one of the voting convenience centers in the County.

4:30 p.m.

Not much traffic at the Mesilla Town Hall. As of 4:30 p.m. there had been 126 ballots cast.

Election workers said there had been a steady presence of voters one or two at time with a slight rush during the lunch hours. Election workers said it was a low turnout due to a limited number of competitive races on the ballot in the county.

4:10 p.m.

Doña Ana County Chief Deputy County Clerk Caroline Zamora said no issues had been reported at any voting location in the County thus far.

"Everything seems to be running smoothly, so I'm really proud of our amazing team," Zamora told the Sun-News.

Zamora pointed to the diligent work of Karen Hernandez, election official coordinator, in staffing voting convenience centers. She said there were about 300 election officials working the 42 voting convenience centers in the County.

Election officials, on hand an hour before voting locations opened at 7 a.m. in the County, are paid for their time: those working early voting locations get $10 to $12 per hour, and on election day receive $350 to $400 for their time. Zamora credited Amanda López Askin, the County Clerk, for advocating for increased pay to election officials.

2:30 p.m.

According to the second update of the day from the NM Secretary of State, there have been 163,357 ballots cast in New Mexico.

There have been 10,501 total ballots cast as of Tuesday afternoon in Doña Ana County and 2,770 total absentee ballots cast

As a comparison, the 2022 Primary Election turnout was 16.41% or 15,499 ballots cast and the 2020 Primary Election turnout was 29.29% or 26,055 ballots cast.

2:20 p.m.

"Vote. It matters," said 18-year-old Damariss Chacon, a recent graduate who was volunteering as a voting clerk at Picacho Elementary School.

Chacon said change only happens when voters actively chose it.

1:15 p.m.

Scenes from voting locations throughout Las Cruces:

12:30 p.m.

A little over 40 voters had visited Corbett Center's voting convenience station by 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, where poll workers celebrated first time voters by ringing a bell.

10:45 a.m.

According to the first update on Tuesday from the New Mexico Secretary of State's Office, there have been 128,963 New Mexicans who have voted so far.

As of Monday, there were approximately 5,501 early ballots cast and 1,972 absentee ballots cast in Doña Ana County. According to the SOS, there have been 8,210 total ballots cast as of Tuesday morning in Doña Ana County and 2,770 total absentee ballots cast.

8 a.m.

By Monday, June 3 7.9% of eligible voters had cast a ballot in Doña Ana County, according to data from the Doña Ana County Clerk's office. Of those, 5,501 were early allots while 1,972 were absentee ballots.

Forty-two voting locations are now open throughout the County for the Primary Election.

Voters registered to one of the three recognized major parties in the state - Republican, Democrat and Libertarian - are eligible to vote in the Primary.

The Sun-News will be following Primary Election Day throughout the County and will begin reporting unofficial results after the polls close at 7 p.m.

7 a.m.

Voting locations in Doña Ana County opened at 7 a.m. Polls will close at 7 p.m.

Same day registration is available in New Mexico for those who are a member of a major recognized party to participate in the Primary Election. Learn how with the Sun-News voter registration guide.

Find your nearest voting location: Where to vote in Dona Ana County, who is on the ballot

Primary coverage: Nearly 6,000 ballots cast during early voting in Doña Ana County

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Live: 42 voting convenience stations open in Doña Ana for Primary