On Oct. 13, San Juan County Clerk Tanya Shelby was alerted by staff members at the Aztec post office that there was a potential issue with absentee ballots being returned to San Juan County voters, instead of the County Clerk’s Office.
Despite showing the proper return address, a bar code on the envelope routed the completed ballot back to the voter. Shelby worked with local postal officials to ensure the problem was addressed and completed ballots were sent to the Clerk’s Office in Aztec.
Out of 6,500 absentee ballots mailed to San Juan County voters Oct. 6, potentially 20 ballots were mistakenly returned to the voter. Postal employees will continue to work to route ballots to the Clerk’s Office for counting. Any voter who received their own ballot is encouraged to mail the ballot again, or drop off ballots at the County Clerk’s Office in Aztec from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday or from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Postal officials assure the San Juan County clerk that there should be no further problems.
Of the more than 11,000 absentee ballots requested by voters in San Juan County, 4,800 have been returned. To verify receipt of ballots, contact the County Clerk’s office at (505) 334-9471 or at www.sjcclerk.net.
Voters who drop off ballots must sign the back of the envelope and write the last four digits of their Social Security number. Absentee voters may drop their ballot at any polling place between now and Election Day. On Election Day, absentee voters may drop off their ballot at any polling location. However, voters who have requested an absentee ballot will be given a provisional ballot should they decide to vote in person.
The last day to request an absentee ballot is Tuesday, Oct. 20.
