Posted February 8, 2008 by Jackie McGehee

Super Tuesday was a Super Mess in New Mexico on Tuesday Caucus voting.

In numerous polling places all across the nation on Super Tuesday, Americans faced hurdles of varying sizes as they went to cast their votes.  Campaign  Legal  Center Policy Director Meredith McGehee’s mother Jackie relates her experience in New Mexico that offers a glimpse of her own perseverance as well a snapshot of the Election Day tribulations that have contributed to steadily falling voter turnout.       

I am 76-year-old woman, just recovering from pneumonia, but I was determined to vote in Super Tuesday’s caucus in New Mexico.  And while my experience was apparently not nearly as harrowing as some people's as reported in The Albuquerque Journal, the feelings of frustration, exhaustion and disgust are rankling inside me.

For reasons I don’t know, the polls did not open until 12 noon. I arrived at my usual polling place at 1:30 p.m. on the coldest day on record in Albuquerque for the date.  I was forced to park about a block away because my usual voting location at a school does not allow cars in the circle drive.  Once at the door, a small notice was posted directing voters in this precinct to go to another polling place. About 20 precincts were listed.   When I arrived at the new location, I was pleased to have a place to park (I have a handicap sticker).   Inside, I found a line that was estimated to be about 2 hours long (it turned out to be 3 hours).

At the table where voters checked in, there were only 3 people to check names for eligibility to vote. I was told by one of them that the card that I had been issued as a voter ID was not of any use in locating me on the voter rolls because they had been discontinued because they contained "too many errors."  The young 25-year-old student ahead of me was voting here because it was close to school, he said.  But since he was not on the rolls, he received a provisional ballot.  Later, I read 17,000 of these provisional ballots were issued and remain uncounted as of Thursday.

With my driver’s license, I was able to be identified and found on the rolls. After I was checked in, I was given a piece of paper with 6 names listed (including Bill Clinton!) and this was torn in half because the official ballots were all gone.  I read later that the State Democratic Party Chair had estimated 30,000-40,000 out of 532,000 eligible voters were expected to vote.  Really?  That’s all they expected?  Even after both major candidates came to New Mexico and former President Bill Clinton and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson watched the Super Bowl together.

As you can tell, I am frustrated, disturbed, perturbed and embarrassed for our state. Who is to be held responsible for this fiasco? Who can change this broken system? How can we ensure every citizen not only has the right to vote, but is able to do it efficiently and smoothly? Surely that’s not too much to ask.  The voting process I encountered on Super Tuesday here in New Mexico was pathetic and disgusting.  Surely we can do better than this.