Though this year’s general election is still six months away, several elections across the state will only be decided in primaries, which will be held June 7.

For people not already registered to vote, today is the last day to do so, which they can do in person at their county clerk’s office or the Secretary of State’s Office.

Absentee voting also begins today, as does voting in person at county clerks’ offices throughout the state.

Because New Mexico is a closed primary state, today is the last day for the 19 percent of registered declined-to-state voters to update their registration to either Democrat or Republican if they want to vote in next month’s primaries.

Anybody who changes their registration to Democrat or Republican online by 5pm today will be eligible to vote June 7. Voters already registered can now update their status online at the Secretary of State’s website; click here to do so.

Voters who complete this process in time but don’t immediately see their updated registration reflected on their online voter information shouldn’t be alarmed, according to Bernalillo County Clerk spokesman Joey Keefe.

“Especially with online you expect it to be changed immediately,” Keefe said, but “there’s a couple of layers of human element to it.”

Those layers involve the Secretary of State’s Office sending the updated voter information to the voter’s respective county clerk. The respective county clerk’s office must then upload the information to its own website.

For the first time, voters who are 17 can vote in primary elections, provided they will turn 18 before the general election. They also must register to vote before May 10, but will not be able to cast ballots until May 17.

Expanded early voting begins May 21.

Voters already registered can check their current voting status here. Voters living in Bernalillo County can also check here.