Aztec voters urged not to wait to turn in ballots for school district mill levy election

Mike Easterling, Farmington Daily Times
·2 min read

San Juan County Clerk Tanya Shelby is reminding voters they have only a few days left to submit their ballots for the Aztec Municipal School District capital improvements tax question.

The deadline for ballots to be received for the election is 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 19. All ballots must be signed and include the last four digits of the voter’s Social Security number to be counted, according to information posted on the website for the County Clerk’s Office.

All registered voters who live in the district have received a mail-in ballot for the election, and those ballots can be submitted by mail or in person.

But Shelby said she worries voters will mail in their ballots at the last minute, causing them to be received by her office after the deadline.

“Don’t wait until March 19,” she said. “Get your vote in now.”

Shelby was especially concerned about a mailer created by supporters of the initiative that featured a large headline proclaiming “ELECTION DAY IS TUESDAY, MARCH 19!” She said she was afraid that would lead some voters to conclude they could vote in person on that date.

Tanya Shelby
Tanya Shelby

“I’m afraid they will think they have to wait until March 19,” she said.

'Sooner the better' to mail or drop off ballots

In actuality, voters can mail in the ballot or bring it to the County Clerk’s Office in the San Juan County Administration Building at 200 N. Oliver Drive in Aztec. The recommended deadline for mailing in a ballot to assure it will be received by March 19 has already passed, as voters were advised to mail their ballots by March 12.

More: San Juan County Clerk's Office finishes recounts, audits with no discrepancies reported

“The sooner the better,” Shelby said about voters submitting their ballots for the special election. “We want every vote to count.”

About the Aztec school district mill levy question on ballot

There is only one question on the ballot, and voters are being asked to vote for or against the proposition. Voters are being asked to weigh in on a proposed 1.886 mill levy that would raise an estimated $1.3 million for the district. Passage of the mill levy would not result in an increase in property taxes.

An identical proposition that was on the November 2023 ballot failed by only four votes.

Shelby said 2,175 ballots for the special election had been received by her office as of Tuesday, March 12.

For more information, call 505-334-9471.

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Ballots in Aztec election received after March 19 won't be counted