Bernalillo County Clerk Mary Herrera said the best way to make sure the students' voice is heard in the Nov. 5 election is to get out and use the early voting option.
Herrera said she has been encouraging all voters to take advantage of early voting to help prevent long lines from forming on election day, which may be longer than usual because of the large number of items on the ballot. Herrera said that depending on which precinct voters are in, there are 66 different combinations on ballots ranging from 80 to 85 items.
"My concern has been that voters will be discouraged because of long lines," she said. "That is why I'm encouraging everyone to vote early."
Bernalillo County has six different early voting locations.
"It doesn't matter which precinct you are in," Herrera said. " You can stop in and vote at any of them."
The six early voting sites are at Four Hills Shopping Center, 13110 Central Ave., A-1 SE; Ladera Shopping Center, 3301 Coors NW Suite E; the Rio Bravo Senior Mealsite, 3910 Isleta Blvd. SW; Paradise Square, 9800 Montgomery SW, Suite 11; 4624 4th Street NW; and the County Clerk's Office, One Civic Plaza NW, Room 6011.
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Days and hours of operation for all early voting sites except the County Clerk's Office are Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday from noon to 8 p.m.; and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Early voting at the County Clerk's Office is Monday thru Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Early voting ends Nov. 2.
Herrera said that if a student cannot take part in early voting, the process to find out where to vote can be found at www.bernco.com. She said voters can also view a sample ballot for specific precincts on the Web site.
Herrera stressed that in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, voters should take advantage of their right to vote.
"Sept. 11 made a lot of people realize that it's our freedom to vote," she said. "In other countries you're required to vote or don't get to vote at all. I believe college students need to take voting very seriously."
Herrera said that the statistics show that youth voting has been low in the past and that that the trend shows in how candidates target their campaigns.
"Students feel that their votes don't count," she said. "If that trend changed, I think candidates would start paying more attention to their needs."
She added that students should vote for who they think will best represent them best, especially concerning the Governor's race.
"Students need to get out and start electing candidates that reflect their issues," Herrera said. "This is their livelihood. If you don't vote you may get officials in office that don't represent your values. It is important that students vote for the governor that they believe will be backing UNM students."
