ALAMOGORDO — Voters turned out briskly as in-person voting for the 2026 general election opened in Otero County on Tuesday, with early reports showing several hundred ballots already cast in Alamogordo.

The opening-day traffic came through the County Clerk’s sub-office in the County Administration Building, 1101 New York Ave., Room 101. It is the county’s only in-person voting site until expanded early voting begins Oct. 17.

By the close of business, several ballots had been cast, according to.

Candidates spent Tuesday night pushing for exactly that kind of start. At a community forum, Liam Griffin, candidate for NM Senate and Grace Nagamine, an independent running for state House District 51, were among those who urged supporters to get to the polls during early voting rather than wait for Election Day.

Tuesday was also the day the clerk’s office began mailing absentee ballots, and the last day to register to vote by mail or online. Residents who missed that deadline can still register or update their registration in person at any early voting location through Election Day, Nov. 3.

The ballot is topped by races for governor and U.S. Senate, along with congressional, legislative and local offices.

Voting options widen later this month, with early voting sites opening in Alamogordo, Mescalero and Chaparral and one-day mobile stops in Tularosa and Cloudcroft.

Where to vote

In-person absentee voting continues at the County Clerk’s sub-office in the County Administration Building, 1101 New York Ave., Room 101, in Alamogordo. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday through Oct. 30, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31.

Early voting at the Otero County Fairgrounds, 401 Fairgrounds Road in Alamogordo, runs Oct. 17 through Oct. 31. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Mobile voting comes to the Tularosa Public Safety Facility, 609 St. Francis Drive, on Saturday, Oct. 17, and to Cloudcroft High School, 10 Swallow Place, on Saturday, Oct. 24. Both run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

In Mescalero, early voting is offered at the Inn of the Mountain Gods, 287 Carrizo Canyon Road, from Wednesday, Oct. 28, through Friday, Oct. 30. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In Chaparral, the Far South Fire Station, 827 Luna St., is open Thursday, Oct. 29, through Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Key dates

The last day to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 20. Early and in-person absentee voting end Oct. 31. Election Day is Nov. 3.

Voters can check their registration or apply for an absentee ballot at NMVote.org.

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