Lower turnout in 2024 primary unaligned with voter sentiment

Yolanda Chacon-Valle knew well before June 4 she wanted Fernando Macías to be the district attorney of Doña Ana County.

One of the last people to vote in the Democratic primary this week, Chacon-Valle told the Bulletin she’d help put the former county manager on the ballot by signing a nominating petition back in March.

“I feel that he's well qualified,” Chacon-Valle, a local library specialist, said.

Chacon-Valle was one of 9,825 Democrats who voted in the 2024 district attorney primary, and Macías needed every one of them. In the four-way race, the former county manager won by just 80 votes.

Prior to the Bulletin calling the race, Macías was unsure he’d won, considering the close margins. But he did win, setting the stage for a showdown with Republican defense attorney Michael Cain in the November general election.

But while the DA’s race featured enough voters to fill three-quarters of the Pan Am Center, it was one of just nine competitive races in the county. That factor likely deflated voter turnout, which was the lowest since 2014.

The New Mexico Secretary of State reported that 14,712 out of 94,763 eligible voters participated in this election. According to a Bulletin analysis of turnout data from 2004 to 2022, about 15,000 voters typically participate in primary elections.

The turnout rate has been much higher since 2016. With Donald Trump's ascension, significantly more voters in Doña Ana County participated, including historic participation in 2020.

However, the lower turnout in 2024 ran against some of the sentiments of those who voted.

For Jennifer Overmyer, the district attorney race was the paramount election.

“I work in the legal field, and I wanted to make sure our county has good representation,” Overmyer said, adding that that meant voting for Booth. 

“She's new. She's an up-and-comer. And I like her style,” Overmyer said.

However, while Overmyer saw this local race as vital, turnout data and interviews conducted by the Bulletin suggest most voters wanted to participate in the uncompetitive presidential primary.

By the time New Mexico voters had their say, both Joe Biden and Donald Trump faced no meaningful competition, although Biden did face inter-party criticism for his handling of the war in Gaza and subsequent antiwar protests across the U.S. That criticism manifested in many people calling for Democrats to vote “uncommitted” as a protest.

Altogether, 14,440 people from the three major parties voted in the presidential primary compared to 13,681 who voted in the district attorney’s primary race. Eli Winston was one of those who wanted to make his voice heard in the republican primary.

“Maybe just to get the idea out there that we're not the silent minority anymore,” Winston, who identified himself as a Republican, said. “(Republicans) don’t do everything right either. But it is when you have to choose between the lesser of two evils.”

Linda Connell, who voted at city hall on election day, had a similar take. She said that she doubted the system for the first time in her life.

“I am extremely disturbed by the way this election year has gone,” Connell said.

Still, she said participating was necessary – even when the race wasn’t competitive.

“I believe that as an American citizen, it’s my duty to participate,” she said. “It’s not something that I can just pass on.”