ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO, WALLET HUB DID A STUDY THAT SHOWED NEW MEXICANS ARE NOT AS POLITICALLY ENGAGED AS VOTERS IN OTHER STATES. WALLET HUB ANALYST JILL GONZALEZ SAYS THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA IS THE MOST POLITICALLY ENGAGED STATE. SHE SAYS THEY FOUND NEW MEXICO TO BE THE LEAST POLITICALLY ENGAGED STATE, RANKED AS 51ST. SHE SAYS IT’S DUE TO A RANGE OF ISSUES. VOTER REGISTRATION IS TYPICALLY LOWER THAN OTHER IN OTHER STATES. THERE’S ALSO THE PROBLEM OF MANY NEW MEXICANS LIVING IN RURAL AREAS, FAR FROM VOTING SITES.
BUT THE PICTURE HAS CHANGED A BIT SINCE THEN. THE ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL REPORTS EARLY AND ABSENTEE VOTING IN NEW MEXICO HAS BROKEN RECORDS WITH PEOPLE COMING OUT TO VOTE ON HOTLY CONTESTED RACES FOR GOVERNOR AND CONGRESS. AS OF THIS PAST SATURDAY, MORE THAN 430-THOUSAND NEW MEXICANS HAVE VOTED EARLY OR ABSENTEE IN THIS ELECTION.
