‘I’m worried’: Doña Ana County begins historic, in-person election during pandemic
DOÑA ANA COUNTY, New Mexico -- As New Mexico voters begin casting their ballots in person for the June primary election, the Doña Ana County clerk is urging voters to vote by mail if possible.
"The safest way, the way that I know that we can maximize safety for everyone connected to the pandemic is for voters to utilize an absentee ballot, said Doña Ana County Clerk Amanda López Askin.
In early April, the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled that county clerks could not hold a mail-in only election for the June primary, according to ABC affiliate KOAT.
Doña Ana County has taken multiple precautions, including:
- Only allowing in five voters at a time
- Separating booths by at least six feet
- Taping marks on the floor to promote social distancing
- Placing plexiglass between poll workers and voters
- Requiring workers to wear masks
- Offering a disposable popsicle to voters, so they won't have to use a communal stylus pen (they can also use the popsicle to press a button to submit their ballot)
Some Doña Ana County residents still wanted to cast their ballots in person, but there were far fewer than previous elections, according to López Askin.
"I chose to be in-person because I like to see my ballot go into the machine and be counted," said Patricia Rothengass, a county resident. "I do not trust absentee ballots because they go through the mail."
López Askin told ABC-7 that New Mexico voters registered to a party should be getting applications in the mail for an absentee ballot. She said as of Monday night, the clerk's office had about 5,700 applications.
Still, she said she's worried for the safety of her employees and the public. As many as 52 people contracted Covid-19 in Wisconsin after the state's in-person election, according to the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.
"I'm worried every single day about it," said López Askin. "That is something that is reinforced everyday when I turn on the news."
