How to register and vote
Published in the Roswell Daily Record 9/23/08
Dear Editor:
I was comparing experiences with other Democratic county chairs on a conference call, and found that all of us who are registering voters are seeing many first-time people registering, people of all ages. And since they are new, occasionally one of them will ask, "If I register as (Democrat/Republican), do I have to vote that way?" The first time I heard this I was astonished, but others confirmed that they have heard the same question.
So if you are a newly registered voter, the answer is a loud no! You can vote for the person, regardless of party, in every race in this general election. You can pick Democrats Obama/Biden for the top of the ticket and still vote for Republican Rod Adair (if you live in New Mexico Senate District 33). And so on. Of course, in New Mexico you can fill in the space at the top that allows you to vote for all the candidates in one party or all the candidates in the other party. (Not all states have this option.) One warning though, if you do that, do not go down and fill in an "extra" vote for your favorite candidate of that party. That actually cancels your vote for that person.
And don't forget to turn your ballot over and vote for the candidates or bond issues on the back.
Warning: Some people who do not want you to be able to vote are sending out fake voter registration forms in the mail. Do not use these. Call your Chaves County clerk (see below) and ask how you can register.
The Democrats are encouraging everyone to vote by mail ("absentee"). You can request an absentee ballot from the Chaves County clerk's office (624-6614). They will mail you an absentee ballot application, which you must then mail back. On Tuesday, Oct. 7, they will start mailing out the absentee ballots.
While the absentee ballot application costs only a first-class stamp to mail (42 cents), the ballot itself requires one dollar of postage. Don't let your ballot get lost in the mail due to insufficient postage.
And for those of you who are brand-new voters, I do recommend that you vote absentee, simply because this will give you more time to study the ballot if you have questions about any of the races, such as county commissioner.
I've given you some information on absentee voting, you can ask for more details about all your options (absentee, early in-person and at the polls on Nov. 4) by calling the Chaves County Clerk's office at 624-6614.
Congratulations, and welcome to the ranks of those who take our voting process seriously. It is both a privilege and a responsibility to be a citizen of the USA. And it is our right and our responsibility to vote.
Ellen Wedum
Democratic Candidate
New Mexico District 59 State Representative