Staff report
A nonpartisan election observation effort recently finalized a full report on findings gathered during early voting and on election day last year.
The report by Observe New Mexico Elections (ONME) indicates a successful election on November 5, 2024, with votes counted, polls opening and closing on time, and equipment functioning properly. ONME, a nonpartisan observation effort designed to increase trust and transparency in elections, mobilized 160 election site watchers across 29 of New Mexico’s 33 counties on Election Day, and 50 individuals observed 91 sites in 24 counties during early voting.
According to the report, all observed voting locations opened within 15 minutes of the required time, and 97% of ONME watchers reported the secrecy of the ballot was maintained. Staffing at early voting locations was deemed appropriate and precinct tabulators functioned correctly in 97% of locations.
“This important, nonpartisan information-gathering effort – led by and for New Mexicans – found that elections went well, votes were counted, and problems were limited,” said Carmen Lopez, Co-Leader of ONME. “We are pleased to see that the findings reflect sufficient staffing levels, poll timeliness, proper functioning of tabulators and voter privacy. All of these things in conjunction made it possible to ensure every vote was counted and New Mexicans’ voices were heard this election cycle.”
However, the report also highlighted areas for improvement. Issues included delays with same-day voter registration due to limited server capacity, improper voter identification inquiries by poll workers at 12 locations, accessibility concerns with voting systems and the need for expanded language translation services.
“We are glad to see that voters faced limited problems across polling locations that were observed, and these findings will allow us to make improvements in the future,” said Garrey Carruthers, former New Mexico Governor and ONME Advisory Board Member. “Findings from the report suggest that some counties may need to review procedures for training poll workers related to voter identification inquiries. Other findings suggest that election officials may need to review training protocols for the use of accessible voting systems and ensure language access for multilingual and non-English-language-dominant voters. And, as always, it is imperative that appropriate attention is given to the most vulnerable among us during elections. Taking these findings in stride, we look forward to continuing to identify ways we can improve the quality of elections of New Mexico, ultimately with the goal of increasing trust and transparency for every voter.”
The full report and executive summary are available online.
