How Displaced Or Unhoused New Mexicans Can Register To Vote

By Megan Gleason, Source New Mexico

October 31, 2022

Those experiencing homelessness or who are displaced still have the right to vote in New Mexico. They just have to register first — if they’ve never done so before — which can now happen in-person during early voting or on General Election Day, and a ballot can be cast that same day.

To register, New Mexicans are required to list a place of residence, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a permanent home address. A homeless shelter, frequent nightly dwelling or PO Box can be put down, as long as there’s a mailing address.

Voters can also add a temporary place of residence that a ballot can be sent to.

How to sign up to vote

New Mexico voters can register at their county clerk’s office. Voters only need to register once. Bring any of the following:

1. A New Mexico driver’s license or ID card issued through the Motor Vehicle Division
2. Any document with an address in the county along with photo ID
3. A student ID from a post-secondary institution — like a college or university — along with a student fee statement showing the student’s address in the county

Early voting goes through Saturday, Nov. 5, and then polls are open again on Tuesday, Nov. 8 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Unhoused voters

Mark Oldknow is the associate director of the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness. He said "for people who are unhoused, voting is fairly easy and not that different of a process from everyone else."

There are a few ways people who are unhoused can put down an address. They can list a homeless shelter, describe the location or draw a map of where they most often reside at night, as long as there’s a mailing address.

Deputy Secretary of State Sharon Pino said "it’s common for unhoused people to put a shelter as their fixed address."

“The person still has to provide the statutorily required voter information the first time they vote, but they are not disenfranchised for being unhoused,” Pino said via email.

Still, Oldknow acknowledged that “there’s a lot of stigma around the homeless showing up” anywhere, including a polling location.

"Another issue is that not enough unhoused people are aware that they can vote or how easy it is," he said.

“I think it’s kind of education and getting the word out to the homeless themselves that they’re entitled to vote,” he said. “The system is not tilted against them.”

Displaced voters

"Voters can list an alternate address to receive a ballot, even if it’s out of their county of state. That’s probably the easiest way for anyone displaced by the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire to vote," Secretary of State’s Office spokesperson Alex Curtas said earlier this month.

“You basically have to say, ‘Well, this is where I’m registered to vote, but this is where I’m living right now. Please send my ballot to this address,’” he said.

Deadline to request mail-in ballot this week

The last day to ask for an absentee ballot is Thursday, Nov. 3. And then it must be returned by Tuesday, Nov. 8 by 7 p.m. in order to count in the election.

Carlos J. Arellano is a Mora County Clerk. He said a lot of displaced Mora residents are staying in Las Vegas, N.M., or Santa Fe, and will probably just come in person to vote.

He said he thinks this General Election will run a lot better than the summer primaries, the first community event since the fire forced evacuation. So far, he said, the number of ballots cast is pretty average — nearly 400 votes were in as of Thursday.

“We anticipate everything just running smoothly as usual,” he said.

Still, Mora County Commissioner Veronica Serna said last month she’s not sure everyone will find the time to vote while they try to recover from the fire and flooding disasters.

The county already has a fairly low voter turnout historically, not unlike the rest of the state. Arellano said about 30% to 40% of registered voters usually cast a ballot, depending on how interested people are in the races.

“We’re just adjusting back to everything now,” he said.

Source New Mexico, an independent, nonprofit news organization, delivers original reporting and stories that center the lived experiences and expertise of the people of New Mexico, alongside insightful opinion and analysis. Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers.