League of Women Voters of Central New Mexico
Voters’ Guide
2011 Albuquerque Election
(Updated 10/6/2011)
(Updated 10/6/2011)
The League of Women Voters of Central New Mexico is a non-partisan organization that provides information about political issues and candidates for public office in order to promote greater citizen responsibility and participation in government. Because the League is non-partisan, it DOES NOT support or oppose any political party or candidate. It does publish and distribute factual information for citizens to use when preparing to vote.
The information in this Voters’ Guide was obtained by means of questionnaires sent to the candidates who have opposition. Their answers are printed exactly as received by the League. Because of space restrictions, candidates are limited to a specific number of words. Also, lists are converted to paragraphs and responses are converted to normal text. Certified write-in candidates will have only their names listed. All candidates are listed in the order they will appear on the October 4, 2011 ballot.
A Municipal Election will be held on Tuesday, October 4, 2011. This Municipal Election will fill the City Council positions from the even-numbered districts - 2, 4, 6, and 8. Voters will also be voting on eleven municipal bond issues, a gross receipt tax revenue bond to finance ABQ the Plan projects and a Red Light proposition question.
Qualified registered voters within the City limits are eligible to vote in this election. All eligible voters can vote on the municipal bond issues and on the other ballot propositions. If you live in an even-numbered district you will also be eligible to vote for a City Council candidate from your district.
Vote Centers On Election Day, voters will go to any one of 49 Vote Centers, instead of their usual precinct locations. Any voter can vote in any Vote Center.
No Automatic Absentee Ballots If you have automatically received an absentee ballot in the past, that practice has ended. If you want an absentee ballot, you must apply for one. For details, please see the section on absentee ballots.
If you have a question concerning the election, please check
| Aug 30, Tue | First day for City Clerk to mail absentee ballots |
| Sep 30, Fri | Last Day to request Absentee Ballot |
| Sep 6, Tue | Voter Registration closes |
| Sep 14, Wed | Early in-Person Voting begins |
| Sep 30, Fri | Early in-Person Voting ends |
| Oct 4, Tue | Election Day - all voting at Consolidated Voting Centers All absentee ballots must be in City Clerk's office by 7pm. |
| Oct 10, Mon | Voter Registration re-opens |
Anyone who wants to vote in this election must be registered to vote in the City of Albuquerque. You must be registered to vote with the County Clerk by Tuesday, September 6 to vote in the October 4 Municipal Election. For questions about voter registration,
To see if you are currently registered to vote, you can call the Bernalillo County Clerk's office at 505-468-1291, or use one of the online services:
The Open and Ethical Elections Code establishes voluntary limits on campaign spending and equal public financing of campaigns for mayoral and city council elections. Participation from the candidates is voluntary. To qualify to receive funding from the public financing fund candidates have to gather $5.00 donations from 1% of the registered voters in their district. In general, candidates who elect to participate in public financing receive from the fund $1.00 for every registered voter in their district to fund their campaign for public office. In exchange for getting disbursements from the fund, candidates are not allowed to accept or spend private campaign contributions.
The following have qualified as participating candidates and have agreed to the terms and conditions of the Open and Ethical Elections Code:
Council Candidates:
You need to present identification when you register to vote only if you are registering for the first time in your county and you register by mail. If you do not submit the proper identification, you will be asked to provide it before you vote in your first election. Accepted identification if you are registering for the first time by mail includes
The voters of Albuquerque passed an amendment to the Election Code of the Albuquerque City Charter on October 4, 2005, that requires voters in a city election to provide a photo identification card prior to voting.
The identification requirements are as follows:
This list is not exclusive. If the voter is able to present an identification card that contains the voter's picture and name he/she should be issued a regular ballot.
If the voter is unable to provide a photo identification card, he or she is still allowed to vote on a provisional ballot. The voter will be given a provisional ballot to complete, and it will be placed in an envelope and returned to the City Clerk's office. The voter then must come in person to the Clerk's office with photo identification that will allow the Clerk to determine if he/she is the actual voter.
Any person qualified to vote may vote by absentee ballot. Absentee voting does not require photo ID. Apply for an absentee ballot with the Albuquerque City Clerk's office
The City Clerk's office will verify the application information and mail your absentee ballot to you. Friday, September 30, is the last day the City Clerk's office will mail out absentee ballots. The ballot contains instructions for completion and return.
Your completed ballot must be received in the City Clerk's office no later than 7:00 p.m., on Election Day, Tuesday, October 4. Absentee ballot packets delivered in person to the City Clerk's office must be delivered by the voter or by members of the voter's immediate family. Immediate family means spouse, children, parents, brothers and sisters.
A map showing all polling places
White markers indicate Early Voting centers
Any person qualified to vote may vote early, in person on a paper ballot. Early Voting is available at the following locations:
Early voting at all locations begins at 8:00 am on September 14 until 5:00 pm on Friday, September 30. The hours of voting will be 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Write-in voting is permitted as long as the Office of the City Clerk has certified the person you are voting for as a write-in candidate.
On October 4 the polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
This year the New Mexico legislature passed a bill allowing county commissioners and other governing bodies, like our city council, to consolidate up to 10 precincts into a "consolidated precinct" for general, primary, municipal and school elections. What this means for the City of Albuquerque election is that on Election Day any voter shall be allowed to vote at any Vote Center in the city much like they already do at early voting sites. There will no longer be voting at the precinct level.
A map showing all polling places
Election Day voting centers are shown in green
Voters can vote on Election Day at ANY of the following Vote Center locations: (Note: the City Clerk's office will NOT be available for election day voting)
Translations will be available by telephone. If you would like assistance at the polls in the form of an interpreter for Keres, Navajo, Tiwa or Spanish speakers, please call the City Clerk's office, 768-3030, on Monday, October 3 or on Election Day, Tuesday October 4.
Voters are obligated to report voting offenses to the City Clerk or the District Attorney. Voting offenses are:
A link to election results will be posted here on election night.