SANTA FE — Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver and The University of New Mexico’s Department of Political Science presented findings from the “2020 New Mexico Election Administration, Voter Security, and Election Reform Report” during a virtual press conference Wednesday.

The report “represents a systematic examination of voter attitudes and experience with the [2020] election, concerns about election security, and preferences for election reforms” (p. 15).
Some key findings detailed in the report include (taken from the Executive Summary):

• The 2020 General Election saw the largest voter turnout in recent New Mexico history, with a total statewide turnout of 69.7 percent. (p. 5)
• 35 percent of 2020 voters voted by mail (absentee); 49 percent voted early in-person; 16 percent voted on Election Day.
• Vote-by-mail saw a major increase during 2020, jumping up to 35 percent of total voters from an average of 10 percent in the last several elections. (p. 6)
• About three-fifths (59 percent) of vote-by-mail requests were completed online using the Secretary of State’s online system.
• Election officials and volunteer poll workers in New Mexico received high marks from voters, especially in light of COVID-19 protocols that were in effect at every polling place. (p. 7)
• 94 percent of voters thought poll workers were helpful.
• 96 percent of voters felt safe when voting in-person.
• 99 percent of voters thought their polling place was easy to find.
• A majority of voters are confident in the way elections are run and are confident in official election outcomes, but many misinformed beliefs about election administration remain. (p. 8-9)
• About three in four voters (77 percent) were very or somewhat confident their vote was correctly counted. A majority (70 percent) of voters were confident in state-level results, though voters were least confident of national results, with only 59 percent indicating they were very or somewhat confident in national results.
• Voter confidence tracks with partisan divides, with Democrats expressing higher levels of confidence than Republicans.
• Voter confidence is improved with positive individual experiences, like encountering helpful poll workers or having positive interactions with the Secretary of State’s office or county clerks.

A copy of the report can be found on the Secretary of State’s website here.
https://ladailypost.com/new-mexico-secretary-of-state-unm-release-2020-election-report-on-voter-attitudes-reforms/