[Editor's Note: Be sure you read the instructions at the BOTTOM of the absentee ballot. I plan to wear a mask and vote in person.]

Author: Representative Cathrynn Brown, Carlsbad
SECRETARY OF STATE UNDERMINES CONFIDENCE IN NEW MEXICO ELECTIONS EVEN FURTHER

Did you receive an "Application for Absent/Early Voter Ballot" in the mail this week? I did, and I want to caution every absentee-minded voter to be careful when filling out the application. The form is poorly arranged, and the instructions are not clear or consistent.

This is an important document, and we should not question at the end, "Did I do it right?"

There are seven blank boxes at the top of the application form. Step #1 says "Print or type voter's name as registered." Turns out my name already appeared in the box, along with a number sequence and a barcode. I thought this was a nice time-saver.

Step #2 asks for the address to which I want my ballot mailed. That was easy enough.

Step #3 asks for my county of residence, political party, signature, and date, and has an absentee ballot checkbox. I wrote in those boxes and, after signing the application, was feeling thankful that the procedure was so simple and straightforward.

But wait! The bottom half of the form has additional instructions. I glanced through these and realized that I made several mistakes. I guess I should have known to start at the bottom of the page to learn how to complete the fill-ins above. Silly me.

Instruction 1 at the bottom of the page says, "Type or print your name." Again, I found this request superfluous, as the Secretary of State had already printed my name in the box, along with that peculiar scan code. The instructions continue: "Type or print...your STREET ADDRESS." I saw that instruction earlier, but where exactly was I supposed to have done this? Box #1 had my preprinted name and barcode in the middle of the box. Was I supposed to write my address to the left of them, to the right, above, or beneath? Not at all clear. For all I knew, the mysterious barcode supplied the requested address. I went back to Step #1 and decided to write in my address beneath the preprinted information.

The next instruction at the bottom of the page says, "Only fill in the area under 'Mail ballot to address below' if you want your absentee ballot sent to an address other than the street address you indicated in step 1 above." Well, now it dawned on me that I had really blown it. I had filled in that box and shouldn't have.

My trust in the process eroded further when I saw the following statement in the second set of instructions: "If all steps are not properly completed, your application will be rejected." The saving grace was that a rejected application might cause merely a delay in the mailing of my ballot. Truth be told, a rejection could also result in denial of the right to vote altogether, not just a delay.

I called the Eddy County Clerk's office to express my disappointment about what I believe are defects in the Secretary of State's absentee ballot application. I was assured that, although I did not fill out the form exactly as (ultimately) directed, the local office would accept and process my application.

I wonder, will the other 32 county clerks be so inclined?

The June 2020 primary election is going to have an historically high number of voters wanting to participate by absentee ballot. It is inexcusable that the Secretary of State would produce a form that is so badly written. What better way to disenfranchise voters than to frustrate them with confusing paperwork, the promise of which is possible delay or denial of their right to vote?