Ledes from the Land of Enchantment

Doña Ana County building, Las Cruces City Hall see long lines on Election Day

LAS CRUCES — The Las Cruces City Hall and Doña Ana County Government Center are seeing long lines just as many head to the polls to vote around noon.

Other polling centers in and around Las Cruces have smaller lines. Those locations include:

  • Camino Real Middle School, 2961 N. Roadrunner Pkwy., Las Cruces
  • Corbett Center Student Union, 1600 International Mall on the New Mexico State University campus, Las Cruces
  • Desert Hills Elementary School, 280 N. Roadrunner Pkwy., Las Cruces
  • East Picacho Elementary School, 4450 N Valley Dr., Las Cruces
  • Fairacres Elementary School, 4501 W. Picacho Ave., Las Cruces
  • Frank O’Brien Papen Center, 304 W. Bell Ave., Mesilla Park
  • Good Samaritan Social Center, 3011 Buena Vida Cir., Las Cruces
  • Highland Elementary, 4201 Emerald St., Las Cruces
  • Jornada Elementary School, 3400 Elks Dr., Las Cruces
  • Las Alturas Fire Station, 4145 Cholla Dr., Las Cruces
  • Las Cruces High School, 1750 El Paseo Rd, Las Cruces
  • Loma Heights Elementary, 1600 E. Madrid Ave., Las Cruces
  • Lynn Middle School, 950 S. Walnut St., Las Cruces
  • Mayfield High School, 1955 N. Valley Dr., Las Cruces
  • Mesilla Elementary School, 2363 Calle Del Sur, Mesilla
  • New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Rd, Las Cruces
  • Organ Mountain High School, 5700 Mesa Grande Dr., Las Cruces
  • Sierra Middle School, 1700 Spruce Ave., Las Cruces
  • Sonoma Elementary School, 4201 Northrise Dr., Las Cruces
  • Sunrise Elementary School, 5300 Holman Road, Las Cruces
  • Tombaugh Elementary, 226 Carver Road, Las Cruces
  • University Hills Elementary School, 2005 S. Locust St., Las Cruces
  • Vista Middle School, 4465 Elks Dr., Las Cruces

A complete list of polling locations is available in other articles.

Voters wait in line to vote during the midterm election on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, at the Doña Ana County Government Center.

After seeing the long line that wrapped through the halls and commission chambers at the government center, Leonard Jimenez said he was heading to one of the nearby schools to cast a vote. Building security were directing people in line and encouraging voters to go to another voting convenience centers around town. Jimenez said he doesn’t usually vote at the county building but stopped by while he was running errands.

“I got some time to kill,” he said.

Jimenez added that he doesn’t typically vote on Election Day, but this year he was running behind.

Marg Smith spoke to the Sun-News just after casting her ballot at the county building. She said she waited in line for about two hours. Smith said she recently moved from Hatch to Las Cruces, and this was her first time voting at the county building.

The wait, Smith said, was worth it.

“I feel like that’s what Election Day is for, to come and vote,” she said. “That’s our privilege and our responsibility.”

Doña Ana County clerk talks voting

“I think we’re used to this level of participation here,” Doña Ana County Clerk Amanda Lopez Askin told the Sun-News. “People think of the county building as the hub where people vote.”

Lopez Askin added that seeing the lines evoked both stress and delight.

“It’s always stressful to see lines because you don’t like people having to wait,” she said. “On the other end, we love lines because that means people are voting.”

Lindsey Bachman, chief deputy county clerk, said 219 people voted at Las Cruces City Hall before noon, while 740 voted at the county building.

According to the New Mexico Secretary of State, about 8,678 people cast a ballot before noon on Election Day in Doña Ana County. The Secretary of State also estimated that about 33,000 voted early or absentee in the county.

More election coverage:

Leah Romero is the trending reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News and can be reached at 575-418-3442, [email protected] or @rromero_leah on Twitter. Justin Garcia is a public safety reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be reached at JE [email protected].

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