Mayor, stadium, school board: What's at stake on Election Day
Nov. 2—It's time to decide who will lead the city of Albuquerque for the next four years, set local public school policy and more.
Tuesday is Election Day in the 2021 Regular Local Election, which consolidates races and ballot questions for multiple public entities, including the city of Albuquerque, Albuquerque Public Schools and the Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District.
Voting is open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at 72 locations across Bernalillo County.
Elections are also happening in other communities around the state, including Santa Fe and Rio Rancho.
The Albuquerque mayor's race is among the positions at stake this year. The ballot features three candidates: first-term incumbent Tim Keller, Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales, and conservative radio show host Eddy Aragon.
The election also will determine five of nine Albuquerque City Council seats and will change the board's makeup, since two of the races feature no incumbent.
City government also has several bond questions on Tuesday's ballot, including a $50 million measure to help fund a new multiuse soccer stadium where New Mexico United would play.
As of Monday, nearly 21% of Albuquerque's registered voters already had voted via absentee ballot or early in-person vote centers, according to the Bernalillo County Clerk's office. Democrats make up most (55.1%) of the turnout to date, while Republicans are 31.4%, and independents/other parties represent the remaining 13.5%.
Albuquerque pollster Brian Sanderoff said Democrats in recent elections have been more likely to vote absentee or early than Republicans and independents, partly due to COVID-19 concerns.
Those 77,352 people who already have cast ballots indicate that turnout will exceed the city's last mayoral election, which drew about 97,000 voters in 2017, Sanderoff said. He cited a state law that consolidated local elections — city, school district and other matters — but said the stadium issue could also be a factor.
"I think that has sparked interest," said Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling Inc.
Still, though, "we're not looking at earth-shakingly high turnout in this election," he said.
Voters in Tuesday's election will also weigh in on an APS bond and mill levy and determine four of seven positions on the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education. The APS races drew a large field of candidates and attracted the attention of the business community after the four incumbents eligible for reelection chose not to run. The interest of business groups resulted in a flood of campaign donations for a slate of business-backed candidates in a race that in years past has typically been largely influenced by the local teachers' union.
Election spending
Monday marked the final pre-election campaign finance reporting deadline for city of Albuquerque races.
A pro-stadium political action committee funded exclusively by the New Mexico United soccer team now has spent $871,026, most of it for television production and advertising buys through The Win Company out of Pennsylvania, city records show.
Though its spending slowed to just $2,680 in the period captured by the report (Oct. 23-29), the stadium PAC still has spent more this election cycle than any mayoral candidate and more than all the City Council candidates combined, records show.
Keller, who is running on public financing, so far has spent $620,878 on his reelection bid, according to reporting data — more than his privately financed challengers, Gonzales ($492,671), and Aragon ($135,881).
Journal staff writer Pilar Martinez contributed to this report.
Election Day voting sites in Bernalillo County:
98th & Central Shopping Center — 120 98th St NW
Andalucia Shopping Center — 5600 Coors Blvd NW
Bernalillo County Visitor Center — 6080 Isleta Blvd SW
Caracol Plaza — 12500 Montgomery Blvd NE
Central Mercado — 301 San Pedro Dr. SE
Clerk's Annex — 1500 Lomas Blvd NW
Cottonwood West — 10131 Coors Blvd NW
Daskalos Center — 5339 Menaul Blvd NE
Desiderio Community Center — 117 Tribal Rd. 7036 To'Hajiilee
Four Hills Shopping Center — 13140 Central Ave SE
Holly Plaza Shopping Center — 6600 Holly Ave NE
Isleta Elderly Center — Building 79 Tribal Rd. 40, Isleta
Los Altos Plaza — 4200 Wyoming NE
Los Ranchos Villa — 6601 4th St NW
Petroglyph Plaza — 8201 Golf Course Rd. NW
South Valley Multipurpose Senior Center — 2008 Larrazolo Rd. SW
The Shoppes at 6001 San Mateo — 6001 San Mateo NE
Tijeras City Hall — 12 Camino Municipal, Tijeras
University of New Mexico — Student Union Building Room 1076
West Bluff — 5201 Ouray Rd NW
A. Montoya Elementary School — 24 Public School Rd, Tijeras
Adobe Acres Elementary School — 1724 Camino Del Valle SW
Albuquerque High School — 800 Odelia Rd NE
Arroyo Del Oso Elementary School — 6504 Harper Dr NE
Bandelier Elementary School — 3309 Pershing Ave SE
Bellehaven Elementary School — 8701 Princess Jeanne St NE
Chaparral Elementary School — 6325 Milne Rd NW
Cibola High School — 1510 Ellison Dr NW
CNM Workforce Training Center — 5600 Eagle Rock Ave NE
Del Norte High School — 5323 Montgomery Blvd NE
Double Eagle Elementary School — 8901 Lowell Dr NE
Duranes Elementary School — 2436 Zickert Rd NW
Eisenhower Middle School — 11001 Camero Ave NE
Eldorado High School — 11300 Montgomery Blvd NE
Forest Meadow Baptist Church — 54 Hwy 217, Tijeras
Garfield Middle School — 3501 6th St NW
Hayes Middle School — 1100 Texas St NE
Herman Sanchez Community Center — 1830 William St SE
Highland High School — 4700 Coal Ave SE
Holiday Park Community Center — 11710 Comanche Rd NE
Hubert H Humphrey Elementary School — 9801 Academy Hills Dr NE
Jackson Middle School — 10600 Indian School Rd NE
Jefferson Middle School — 712 Girard Blvd NE
Kennedy Middle School — 721 Tomasita St NE
La Cueva High School — 7801 Wilshire Ave NE
La Mesa Elementary School — 7500 Copper Ave NE
Lyndon B Johnson Middle School — 6811 Taylor Ranch Rd NW
Madison Middle School — 3501 Moon St NE
Manzano High School — 12200 Lomas Blvd NE
Manzano Mesa Elementary School — 801 Elizabeth St SE
McKinley Middle School — 4500 Comanche Rd NE
Montezuma Elementary School — 3100 Indian School Rd NE
Mountain View Community Center — 201 Prosperity Ave SE
North Star Elementary School — 9301 Ventura St NE
Onate Elementary School — 12415 Brentwood Hills Blvd NE
Pajarito Elementary School — 2701 Don Felipe Rd SW
Polk Middle School — 2220 Raymac Rd SW
Raymond G Sanchez Community Center — 9800 4th St NW
Rio Grande High School — 2300 Arenal Rd SW
Rudolfo Anaya Elementary School — 2800 Vermejo Park Dr SW
Sandia High School — 7801 Candelaria Rd NE
Taylor Middle School — 8200 Guadalupe Tr NW
Truman Middle School — 9400 Benavides Rd SW
Valle Vista Elementary School — 1700 Mae Ave SW
Valley High School — 1505 Candelaria Rd NW
Van Buren Middle School — 700 Louisiana Blvd SE
Ventana Ranch Elementary School — 6801 Ventana Village Rd NW
Vista Grande Community Center — 15 La Madera Rd, Sandia Park
Volcano Vista High School — 8100 Rainbow Blvd NW
Washington Middle School — 1101 Park Ave SW
West Mesa High School — 6701 Fortuna Rd NW
Zuni Elementary School — 6300 Claremont Ave NE