Election Day for the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District board of directors is coming up on Tuesday, Oct. 3.
Polling locations in Valencia, Socorro, Bernalillo and Sandoval counties will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. that day, and early voting sites will be open through Saturday.
There are two positions on the ballot this year for qualified voters in Valencia County to vote for — the Position 1 at-large seat and the Position 5 Valencia County seat.
There are three candidates vying for the Valencia County seat — Carol Benavidez of Tomé, Kirsten Couevas of Tomé and Brian Jiron, of Isleta.
Benavidez, 53, is retired from the MRGCD Belen Division as an officer manager after more than 25 years. Couevas is a regenerative farmer and consultant. Jiron, 41, is a farmer.
The at-large candidate on the board can live in any of the counties the district encompasses, but this year both are from Valencia County.
The current Valencia County director Stephanie Russo Baca, 36, of Los Chavez, is running for the at-large seat, as well as Jerome Cordova, 47, of Jarales.
Russo Baca is a water attorney, and Cordova is the owner of ADC, Ltd.
At-large incumbent Barbara Baca, of Albuquerque, did not file to run for the seat.
Early voting
Early, in-person voting is from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., through Saturday, Sept. 30, at the following Valencia and Socorro county locations.
Valencia County
- Belen Public Library, 333 Becker Ave, Belen
- Valencia County Clerk’s Office, 444 Luna Ave SE, Los Lunas
Socorro County
- Socorro Electric Cooperative, 215 Manzanares Ave, Socorro
Election Day polling locations
The following polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 3, in Valencia and Socorro counties.
Valencia County
- Belen Public Library, 333 Becker Ave, Belen
- Valencia County Clerk’s Office, 444 Luna Ave SE, Los Lunas
- Logsdon Hall, 19676 N.M. 314, Los Chavez
- Don Jose y Dolores Cordova Cultural Center, 426 Jarales Road, Jarales
- Tomé/Adelino Fire Department Valley Station 2755 N.M. 47, Tomé
- Peralta City Hall, 90-A Molina Road, Peralta
Socorro County
- Socorro Electric Cooperative, 215 Manzanares Ave, Socorro
- Midway Fire Department, 13 Cambon Road, Lemitar
- Northern Socorro Senior Center, 894 N.M. 304, Veguita
Additional early voting and Election Day voting sites in Sandoval and Bernalillo counties can be found on the district’s website. Qualified electors may cast a ballot at any early voting or Election Day location.
For more information, contact Election Director Eli Lovato with Automated Election Services at (505) 891-0525.
Julia M. Dendinger began working at the VCNB in 2006. She covers Valencia County government, Belen Consolidated Schools and the village of Bosque Farms. She is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists Rio Grande chapter’s board of directors.
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May 2, 2024
