New Mexico voters can find nonpartisan election information on VOTE411

Low voter turnout plagues our elections, and it's typically worse for midterms like the one coming up Nov. 3. The last general election midway through a president's term was in 2022, when 46.3% of eligible voters in New Mexico cast ballots. That's right: Fewer than half of us made it to the polls. Researchers who study elections report a variety of reasons voters don't participate, and one reason is they lack information about the races and ballot issues. That's a problem the League of Women Voters hopes to eliminate with our digital election tool, VOTE411, accessed at vote411.org. It's virtual, nonpartisan and available in both English and Spanish. VOTE411 isn't new — we launched it in 2006 as a 'one-stop-shop' for nonpartisan election information — but it keeps getting better. Since then, VOTE411 has served tens of millions of voters and won multiple national awards as a trusted source of objective, factual, bilingual election information. Today, you can go to VOTE411 to make sure you're registered to vote — and to register if you aren't. You can learn how voting machines work and whether you'll need an ID to vote (you don't in New Mexico). You can locate your precinct and make a voting plan. You can find important dates and deadlines for registration, mail-in ballots and early voting; read about candidates for statewide races, and find phone numbers to call if you have an election-related problem. All that information is available 24/7 and updated regularly. Additionally, local VOTE411 Voter Guides go live at VOTE411.org on Oct. 5, providing information on every candidate and issue on your ballot. These are the digital versions of the League's widely trusted print Voter Guide, typically inserted in local newspapers. VOTE411 is made possible by League of Women Voters members across the country. In New Mexico, the state league provides carefully vetted information on state races and issues, while leagues in Santa Fe County, Los Alamos, central New Mexico and southern New Mexico provide the same information on local races and issues. With VOTE411, the League of Women Voters demonstrates our commitment to providing voters with the information they need to successfully participate in every election, because every election is important. Including midterms. Hannah Burling is president of the League of Women Voters of New Mexico. She lives in Lamy.