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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
The midterm elections are in 13 days. There are people who are claiming this is the most important election of our lifetimes. I’m not going to say that for many reasons. First is that we hear this just about every election lately. Second, every election is important, although some may be more important than others. And while sometimes it may seem like our votes don’t mean much, especially as we look at national races, they do matter, and there are lots of local issues where they may matter even more.
Early voting has already started here in Los Alamos, and we are now into extended hours. You can vote at the municipal building in Los Alamos or town hall in White Rock, Monday through Saturday, 8 am to 6 pm. Early voting ends on Saturday, October 31.
The registration for absentee voting has already passed. If you have an absentee ballot the best thing to do is to drop it at one of the drop-off locations which are located at either library. If you are planning on mailing your absentee ballot, because of threats that have been made by the post office, it is best to give 5-10 days for it make it to the county in time to be counted. That means you need to mail it in the next few days.
On election day, November 3, the polls will be open from 7 am to 7 pm. Voting locations will be at the municipal building, town hall in White Rock, the golf course, UNM-LA and the Mesa Public Library.
If you need to check your voting registration, DO NOT use votesafe.org. That is run by Elon Musk and it is spreading false information, as well as claiming you can register to vote through that site. You cannot, and you don’t want them having your information. Instead, go to NMvote.gov. That is the site for the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office. You can find a sample ballot for Los Alamos at the county clerk’s site. If you live outside of Los Alamos, or New Mexico, contact the county clerk for your county, or the state’s Secretary of State’s Office and you can find the same information.
If you are not registered to vote, New Mexico does have same day voter registration. You can do that at your polling location. If you have any issues surrounding your registration when you go to vote, you can challenge that information and then request a provisional ballot and use that to cast a vote. If you encounter other problems, or notice things that do not seem correct or appropriate, call 866-OUR-VOTE (866-839-8682).
I know that there are Christians, and clergy, who believe that we are called not to participate in civil society and politics, but, as I hope you are aware, that is not my belief. I believe that part of our call to discipleship is to be engaged as good citizens of our countries, and that does involve voting, at a bare minimum. Although I would also strongly encourage you to be involved in other ways as well. The county is always looking for people to serve of various different county commissions, or to volunteer.
Get out and make a difference.
Blessings,
John
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