Crowds pack early voting centers

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Election Day is 15 days away, but a lot of people do not want to wait to vote and are voting early.

Most of the places to do that here in Bernalillo County opened this weekend and they were packed.

It was so crowded that they could set a record.

Four years ago about 9,000 Bernalillo County voters cast their ballot day one of early voting.

This year over 10,000 people have already voted making it a new record and a number that puts New Mexico on pace to shatter the early voting record.

The key this year may be more flexibility.

Seventeen early voting centers are open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Monday thru Saturday, the same length of time as on Election Day, and any Bernalillo County voter can vote at any of those sites.

County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver says having longer hours leads to faster lines.

“Now that we do have longer hours that really helps us manage those flows,” Toulouse Oliver said. “We had a really great day for flow on Saturday and today as well, people are just getting right in and out.”

Toulouse Oliver says her goal is to have 125,000 Bernalillo County voters cast their ballot ahead of Election Day.

She hopes that will make those Election Day lines a little easier to manage.

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