Its Time to Early Vote!

by Adelina C. Blea, YDNM Vice President

Instagram: @adelina.blea

It’s that time of the year, election season, and now more than ever you should consider voting early. 

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In-Person Early Voting

According to the Brennan Center for Justice, 97 percent of eligible voters in the United States should have access to early voting—whether that be by mail or in-person—before the 2026 midterm election in November. Early voting gives voters flexibility to choose when they can vote based on their schedule, and it increases voter turnout. When you give voters the option of when they can vote instead of one specific day, you’ll open up the probability of voters actually finding time to go to the polls and cast their ballot.

The Brennan Center has also researched and proven that when early voting is an option, lines on election day are not as long, which in turn reduces the stress of the election system (i.e., the secretary of state), improves the abilities of poll workers, and lowers the risk for error. They also report that early voting allows for equal access to voting, which, according to a study at UCLA, is an important and central element of a democratic government. When early voting is restricted or even completely eliminated, you see a reduction of minority votes because many minority voters are more likely to vote on weekends and late evening hours. In the last midterm election, 2022, the U.S. Census reported that 47.1 percent of the ballots cast were a direct result of early voting, and minority groups such as Asians (60.9 percent) and Hispanics (52.9 percent) chose to cast their vote during early voting.

Early voting not only opens up the window of possible times for you to vote, but it also helps prevent errors and issues from arising on Election Day. David Becker, the founder of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, said that early voting helps reduce the effects of disturbances such as weather or security threats on Election Day. The other issue that may arise on Election Day is long lines. In New Mexico the polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day, which only allows for a small window of time for voters who work until 5 p.m. to get to the polls. When you have thousands of people getting off of work and heading to the polls at the same time, long lines start to form. In 2024, some voters waited until 10:30 p.m. on Election Day to be able to cast their vote due to long lines and issues with same-day voter registration—which is available at polling locations in New Mexico.

Mail-In Early Voting

On September 14th, 2026, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled on League of Women Voters of Massachusetts v. Trump, a case that, if decided differently, would have majorly impacted the ability to vote by mail. The ruling placed an injunction on the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) from restricting and withholding mail-in ballots from voters. 

Although this ruling is in place until after the November 3rd election, it is still recommended that if you have to request a mail-in ballot, you should return it early either by drop-box or by hand-delivering the ballot. You can hand deliver your ballot to your county clerk’s office, Early Voting location, or to an Election Day location no later than 7:00 p.m. on November 3rd.

The League of Women Voters recommends that you act promptly if your mail-in ballot doesn’t arrive in time and to track your ballot once you mail it off to make sure it arrives at the appropriate location. If you request a mail-in ballot in New Mexico but it hasn't been received by Election Day, you still have the option to go to a polling location to vote. In New Mexico if you happen to not use the mail-in ballot you requested and instead choose to vote in person, you will be required to sign an affidavit saying you did not vote multiple times. 

New Mexico Election Information

In New Mexico, in-person early voting opens at each county clerk’s office 28 days before election day. This year, October 6th is the day you can start heading down to your county clerk’s office to vote early.

Expanded early voting will begin on Saturday, October 17th. Check with your county clerk for early voting locations, as locations and times differ by county, or click here to find an early voting location. Expanded early voting ends October 31st, and polls open again on Election Day, November 3rd.