Mike Smith

Artesia Daily Press

msmith@currentargus.com

2:45 p.m.

Voting turnout at Faith Baptist Church topped 312 as of 2:45 p.m., a voting official said.

Turnout from the Artesia Senior Center was not available as of this posting.

Polls close at 7 p.m. for mayor and four city council seats.

11:00 a.m.

As of 10:20 a.m. 49 people voted in the municipal elections at the Artesia Senior Center and 101 had voted at Faith Baptist Church as of 10:37 a.m.

Wendy Bishop, precinct judge, said voting at Faith Baptist was steady during the morning hours.

“Straight up 7 o’clock one person was standing at the door,” she said when the polls were opening at the church at 20th Street and Grand Avenue.

She was expecting voters to increase by late afternoon.

“Usually after five we have a little rush once everybody gets off work,” Bishop said.

(Mike Smith/Artesia Daily Press) Leah Boone helps a voter at Faith Baptist Church on Tuesday.

District 2 City Council candidate Nathan Ryno cast his vote around 10:20 a.m. at the Artesia Senior Center.

“I’m anxious. I’m glad we’re here at Election Day,” he said after casting his ballot.

Ryno said he would not be resting as he was getting in some last-minute campaigning.

8:15 a.m.

One person had voted at the Artesia Senior Center at 7:15 a.m. said precinct judge Teresa Saxon.

She said her job until 7:00 p.m. is to oversee voters and workers.

“(And) making sure if there are questions on the ballot, I can answer them,” she said.

She was expecting turnout to be good as nearly 600 people voted early and absentee.

Shawna Valenzuela, who works at the Senior Center, moved to Artesia eight months ago from Hobbs and she moved her registration from Lea County to Artesia.

She said she was looking forward to voting in today’s municipal elections.

“(It’s) very convenient,” she said of same day registration.

A closer look at the election process and the candidates

Artesia residents go to the polls today at 7 a.m. as citizens look to replace outgoing Mayor Jonathan Henry, who decided not to seek another term.

Looking to replace him are current mayor pro tem Jeffrey Youtsey and Terrance Todd.

(Mike Smith/Artesia Daily Press) From Left to Right-Shadow Arechiga, (standing) Rebecca Reede, Teresa Saxon and Emma Acosta were working the Artesia Municipal Elections at the Artesia Senior Center on Tuesday.

Todd, 64, is a retired law enforcement official and Youtsey, 61, works at Navajo Refinery in Artesia.

City council seats are also up for grabs in today’s municipal elections.

In District 1, incumbent Raul Rodriguez is unopposed along with Michael Bunt who is running in District 4.

He is running to serve the final two years of a vacancy he was appointed to fill when no one filed for the office in 2024.

In District 2, Joseph W. Wright, and Nathan N. Ryno are looking to replace incumbent George Mullen who decided not to seek another term.

Wright, 72, is a retired site director at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Artesia.

Ryno, 50, is a special education teacher for the Artesia Public Schools.

In District 3, former councilor Allen K. Batcher is looking to regain the seat.

His term was up on city council in 2022 when he decided to run for mayor.

Matteo Doporto is running as a write-in candidate.

Either man will replace incumbent Wade Nelson, who decided not to seek another term.

 In District 4, former councilor Terry L. Hill is running against Charles Morgan Wagner II.

Hill represented the district until 2022, when his term was up, and he decided to run for mayor.

Wagner, 36, works for HF Sinclair Midstream.

The winner would replace incumbent Dickie Townley, who chose not to run for another term.

The polls close at 7 p.m. and residents can vote at the Artesia Senior Center at 202 W. Chisum Ave. and Faith Baptist Church at 401 S. 20^th Street.

Keep it here throughout the day for the latest election news.

Complete unofficial results will be posted at artesianews.com later tonight and in Thursday’s Artesia Daily Press newspaper.