Early voting for Rio Rancho’s municipal election closed Saturday with 6,733 ballots cast, surpassing the pre-Election Day total from the 2022 municipal election and offering a more optimistic turnout picture heading into Tuesday’s vote.
The final pre-Election Day tally, updated by City of Rio Rancho Clerk Noel Davis as of 1:49 p.m. Sunday, includes 6,494 early votes and 239 absentee ballots. That total represents 8.3% of the city’s 81,415 registered voters.
By comparison, pre-Election Day voting in the March 2022 municipal election produced 4,605 early votes and 610 absentee ballots — a combined 5,215 ballots before Election Day.
The 2026 cycle’s early vote total exceeded the 2022 pre-Election Day figure by more than 1,500 ballots, a significant surge from the pace reported by The 528 as recently as Feb. 25, when just 4,093 ballots had been cast.
Despite the improved early vote total, the city’s 8.3% participation rate still lags behind the 14.17% final turnout recorded in 2022, when 10,245 of 72,323 registered voters cast ballots. Rio Rancho’s electorate has grown by more than 9,000 voters since then.
To match 2022’s overall turnout, Tuesday’s Election Day would need to produce roughly 3,500 votes. In 2022, Election Day accounted for 5,030 ballots, nearly half of the total.
Tuesday’s election features six candidates competing to succeed Mayor Gregg Hull, who is not seeking reelection and is instead running for governor. The mayoral field includes Alexandria Piland, Zachary Darden, Michael Meek, Paul Wymer, Aleitress Owens-Smith and Corrine Rios.
In City Council races, Jeremy Lenentine is running unopposed in District 2 and Bob Tyler is unopposed in District 3. The District 5 race is a contested matchup between incumbent Karissa Culbreath and Calvin Ward. Robert Cook is the sole candidate for municipal judge.
Voters will also decide on three general obligation bond questions totaling $18 million for roads, public safety and quality-of-life facilities. City officials have said no property tax rate increase would occur if the bonds are approved, because previously issued bonds have been retired.
Where to vote Tuesday
Fourteen voting convenience centers will be open Tuesday, March 3, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. across Rio Rancho:
- Broadmoor Senior Center (Clerk’s Annex), 3241 Broadmoor Blvd.
- Loma Colorado Library, 755 Loma Colorado Blvd.
- Cabezon Community Center, 2307 Cabezon Blvd.
- 2345 Southern Blvd. SE, Suite C2
- The Hub @ Enchanted Hills, 7845 Enchanted Hills Blvd.
- Cielo Azul Elementary School, 3804 Shiloh Road
- Puesta Del Sol Elementary School, 450 Southern Blvd.
- Haynes Community Center, 2006 Grande Blvd. SE
- Esther Bone Library, 950 Pinetree Road SE
- Star Heights Recreation Center, 800 Polaris Blvd.
- 4114 Sabana Grande
- Rio Rancho Middle School, 1600 Loma Colorado Blvd.
- Joe Harris Elementary School, 2100 10th St.
- Colinas Del Norte Elementary School, 1001 Night Sky Ave.
Same-day voter registration is available at all locations. Voters must present a current photo ID under the city’s local voter identification requirement. Acceptable forms include government-issued IDs, driver’s licenses, student IDs, credit or debit cards, insurance cards, union cards, passports, professional association cards or voter identification cards issued free by the City Clerk.