Error leads to 452 duplicate absentee ballots being sent to Bernalillo County voters
BERNALILLO COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – Primary election day is right around the corner, and some voters have already started to send in absentee ballots- but some Bernalillo County voters were surprised to find a second ballot in the mail.
Story continues below
Podcast: Albuquerque Police Chief talks next steps with DOJ reforms
Entertainment: New movie inspired by West Mesa Murders coming soon
News: Error leads to 452 duplicate absentee ballots being sent to Bernalillo County voters
Bernalillo County Clerk, Linda Stover, said that doesn’t mean anyone’s vote will be counted twice. “The vendor now has made plans to not have that happen, we’re looking at it again,” Stover said.
As of Monday, nearly 16,000 absentee ballots were distributed to Bernalillo County residents, according to the clerk’s office. Among that number, 452 voters received two ballots. “On the 8th, we mailed out ballots,” Stover explained. “On the 9th, we mailed out ballots. Our vendor accidentally, on the 9th, picked up some of the ballots from the 8th.”
Stover says her team found out a day after the ballots were delivered. She says a set number of ballots were sent out on specific days, and that when counted, something didn’t add up. “We noticed a difference in the numbers,” Stover said.
Of those 452 duplicates, 320 were for Democratic primary voters, and 132 were for Republicans. The county clerk’s office says they sent out a notification letter once they discovered the mistake. The letter guided voters on what to do if they received a duplicate.
“Everybody that we had contact information on, like an email, or a telephone number, we tried to contact,” Stover said. “We sent everybody a letter telling them what had happened and asked them to only vote the one ballot and to destroy the other.”
So, what happens if a voter sends back ballots that are both completed? Stover says each person has a voter ID and barcode that is attached to their ballot. Meaning, that if you’ve voted once, it will notify the voter registry and mark that you have voted. Any duplicate ballots that are turned in are thrown away.
“You can go to Berncoclerk.gov and look up your voter file and you’ll see if your vote has been checked and done,” Stover added. “It’s very easy to do that.”
Stover says this is the first time something like this has happened since she has been the county clerk. She asks that if anyone has questions about duplicate ballots, to contact her office.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
