Election Debrief

June 5, 2020 – Nearly 40 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot in the 2020 primary election, the majority of them by mail. With 250,000 absentee ballots to count, some counties couldn’t report results on election night. Taos County had to ask a court for an extension after its poll workers got tired and went home before finishing the tally. Correspondent Gwyneth Doland asks the state’s top election official: What went wrong? What does the state need to do to prepare for November?  

Correspondent: 
Gwyneth Doland 

Guest:  
Maggie Toulouse Oliver, New Mexico Secretary of State 

For More Information: 
Absentee Ballots Cause Lengthy Delay to Taos County Tally — Taos News 
Unprecedented Primary Challenges New Mexico Elections Officials — The Santa Fe New Mexican 
GOP House Race Drags On After Vote-Counting Board Walks Out — Associated Press 
Santa Fe, Taos Counties Need More Time to Count Votes Amid Flood of Absentee Ballots — NM Political Report 

This segment is part of the “Your New Mexico Government” Project (#YourNMgov), a collaboration between New Mexico PBS, KUNM Radio, and the Santa Fe Reporter. This endeavor is funded by the New Mexico Local Journalism Fund with public media support provided by the Thornburg Foundation.