The results of an Albuquerque Public Schools special election—in which voters casting ballots by mail overwhelmingly rejected three bond proposals for construction projects—have some local school officials concerned about a similar election underway in Santa Fe.
In a test of a new state law that aims to increase election turnout, voters in several school districts in New Mexico, including Santa Fe Public Schools, are casting ballots by mail for the first time.
The convenience of mail-in ballots is expected to drastically increase voter participation, requiring officials to appeal to a wider base beyond the teachers, parents and other public school advocates who in the past have made up the majority of those showing up at polling sites in Santa Fe to elect school board members or decide on property tax measures to pay for construction projects, facilities maintenance and technology upgrades.
