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Early voting for Eddy County local elections continues

Eddy County Republicans led early and absentee voting for the Nov. 2 local elections, per data from the New Mexico Secretary of State’s office.

As of Oct. 22, 237 Republicans in Eddy County voted early or absentee for village, city council, school boards, hospital boards, soil and water boards and tax questions in Carlsbad, Loving, Hope and Artesia.

The Secretary of State’s office said 115 Eddy County Democrats voted early or absentee. Sixteen voters who declined to state party affiliation and two Libertarians, and one designated other party also voted early and absentee.

More:Absentee voting underway for Eddy County local elections

Eddy County Clerk Darlene Rosprim said 236 Carlsbad area residents voted early as of the afternoon of Oct. 21 and 121 voted early in Artesia.

Rosprim and others from her office conducted poll worker training seminars in Carlsbad and Artesia Oct. 19 through Oct. 21.

“We’ve got a great staff and I’m not worried about this,” Rosprim said when asked of protocols in place for the Nov. 2 elections. “The work is the same to get the (voting) machines ready.”

Eddy County Clerk Darlene Rosprim speaks to a group of potential poll workers for the November local elections on Oct. 21, 2021 in Artesia.

Rosprim outlined Nov. 2 steps for poll workers during a seminar in Artesia Oct. 21. Workers were asked to show up at Eddy County polling locations at 6 a.m. Nov. 2, Rosprim said.

“Make sure you have tables and chairs set up,” she said.

More:These are the candidates running in local Eddy County 2021 elections

Rosprim said workers would set up voting machines and voting booths for Eddy County residents to fill out ballots.

“We have fed ballots through already,” Rosprim said of early tests of Eddy County voting machines.

She said poll workers would compare voting machine documents with sample ballots before polls open at 7 a.m. on Election Day.

Eddy County Chief Deputy County Clerk Cara Cooke during a poll training class in Artesia on Oct. 21, 2021.

Rosprim said the elections are non-partisan, which means candidates do not state political party.

She said campaigning was not allowed at the polling place on Election Day.

“There is no campaigning within 100 feet of the building,” Rosprim said.

She said polls close at 7 p.m. and if people are in line before closing time, they can still cast a ballot.