All are titillating stories but the one history will remember is the over 305,000 absentee ballots that will start getting sent today by county clerks responding to voter applications requested the past three weeks. Those absentees will begin to come back to the clerks over the weekend, putting an end to the campaign for tens of thousands of voters at the earliest point ever.

Voters can continue to request absentees until October 20, perhaps bringing the total absentee vote close to the 400,000 mark or about 50 percent of the total vote expected to be cast. Combined with in-person early voting that begins later this month, the total early vote could comprise 60 to 70 percent percent of all votes cast during this pandemic.

But how can the clerks handle such a crush of absentees? Hard work combined with forward thinking legislation should get the job done. We talked with ABQ attorney and Dem state Senator Daniel Ivey-Soto, recognized not only as an authority on NM election law but also nationally. His Senate Bill 4 legislation (co-sponsored by Rep. Linda Trujillo) was a major overhaul of the voting system. Here's his comments on handling the absentee avalanche:

Under longstanding law Clerks can begin processing absentees five days before the election--opening the outer envelope and making sure certain information was listed by the voter so they are not disqualified. In the big counties such as Bernallio that work can actually begin October 20. That should be plenty of time even for this historic absentee turnout. The votes are "registered" as they come in which means they are counted by the machines and only need to be totaled on Election Night. 

Ivey-Soto says that voters should mail their absentees by October 27 because the post office guarantees delivery no later than 7 days and the election is November 3. But the veteran lawmaker says he will forego the mail. He will vote absentee and then place the ballot in a secure drop box at an early voting location. Good idea.

PORN GOES PUBLIC

Montoya

Should a 59 year old state House candidate be forced to quit his race because he acted in gay porn films when he was 22 and in college? The state GOP thinks so, saying of Democratic District 40 House candidate Roger Montoya:

 This irresponsible and reckless behavior of starring in gay porno films, whether it takes place now or years ago, is unbecoming of any candidate or elected official,” said Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce. “If you’re a public servant, you must be held to the highest standards. New Mexico holds dear to its strong, traditional values, and Mr. Montoya should leave the race immediately.”

For his part, Montoya is staying put:

"I am not proud of that choice, as I was young, and naïve," Montoya, a longtime community organizer who was recognized last year as a CNN Hero, said in a statement. "But those experiences helped me to understand the exploitation young people face," he wrote.

Dems disagreeing with Pearce asked if longtime GOP Senator Pete Domenici should have been forced out of the Senate because he fathered an out of wedlock child with a prominent lobbyist in his early Senate years? They argued that could also be labeled reckless and irresponsible. 

The state Democratic Party says it fully stands behind Montoya and that if anyone should get out of the race it should be Trump because of his past disgraces  

And what about that GOP reference to "gay porn?" Is that more morally offensive than porn consumed by straight viewers?

The story was broken by up and coming GOP blogger John Block who publishes the Pinon Post.

Montoya is opposed by Española GOP Councilor Justin Salazar-Torrez. The district is heavy Dem (but Española has a gay GOP mayor). We'll put it on our watch list for Election Night when we broadcast results over KANW 89.1 FM and kanw.com. 

SENATE CLASH

Republican Mark Ronchetti won last night's KOB-TV debate on style because Democrat Ben Ray Lujan inexplicably appeared for the face-off from his ABQ office with a brick wall as the backdrop. That bounced his voice around the room and caused an annoying echo. Style matters and he let Ronchetti win on that. Because of COVID the candidates could be where they wanted to be. TV pro Ronchetti wisely chose the studio and Libertarian Bob Walsh, like Luján, also chose a remote location.