Los Alamos resident Shelby Hollis casts her vote for the first time Friday afternoon at the Los Alamos County Clerk’s mobile voting unit stationed at the Los Alamos Smith’s parking lot. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
It is just days until the U.S. holds its Election Day on Nov. 5 and Los Alamos County Clerk Naomi Maestas assures the public that locally, the voting process is going smoothly.
“Everything has been going great,” she said.
Maestas said as of Thursday, Oct. 31, there has been 47 percent voter turnout. She praised Los Alamos County for its active involvement in the election; saying compared to other New Mexico counties, Los Alamos has a higher voter turnout.
The County Clerk’s office is here to serve local voters, she said.
“We always have curious voters who have questions, and we want to answer those questions,” Maestas said.
Plus, Maestas and her staff work to ensure the election runs fairly, accurately and ethically. Every election follows the same security measures and the same safeguards, she said.
For instance, the voting machines are certified for each election.
“We make sure the tabulators are tabulating correctly,” Maestas said, adding that tests are done on logistics and accuracy.
Even after Nov. 5, the work doesn’t stop. Maestas said a canvass is conducted Nov. 14 and the County will participate in the statewide audit during which the state will randomly select a precinct and a particular race and hand count ballots. This is done by a bipartisan team and the results are sent to the Secretary of State.
As far as security, Maestas said security cameras are installed in the clerk’s warehouse where the machines are kept, and the cameras are monitored by the clerks’ office and the police department. There are also security cameras on the ballot drop-off boxes and the police department offers extra patrols at all the voting sites.
“The integrity of the election is of the upmost importance to us,” Maestas said.
She added, “We are very fortunate to live in a community that we do because everyone respects the democratic process.”
While none of the local candidates have cast suspicions on the election nor have there been any incidents at any of the voting stations, the events that have happened nationally such as the recent fires to absentee ballot boxes have made an impact locally.
Maestas explained she recently attended a statewide workshop with the Governor, Secretary of State, the National Guard, New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and a couple of other clerks’ offices and the focus was on election security. She said this is the first time she has been invited to the workshop to help develop best practices for security.
On Nov. 5, voting will occur 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the following locations: Los Alamos County Municipal Building, White Rock Town Hall, Golf Course Community Room, Betty Ehart Senior Activity Center and University of New Mexico-Los Alamos.
From left, election poll worker Sharyl Hofer, Rebecca Hollis, who stopped by to vote, Los Alamos County Clerk Naomi Maestas and Election Clerk Kimberly Christensen stand outside the mobile voting unit Friday afternoon. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com