Have you requested your absentee ballot but not received it yet? No worries.

New Mexico Secretary of State Mary Herrera’s office has instructed county clerks to allow folks like you to vote in person at early voting locations.

In a letter dated Oct. 29 to county clerks throughout the state, Bureau of Elections Director Gerald Gonzalez said the new instruction was meant to enfranchise voters:

We view the goal of the Election Code as being to enfranchise voters, and as such, conclude that a voter should be allowed to ask for a replacement absentee ballot during a flexible time period and at any authorized voting location.

Gonzalez told the Independent that people who are waiting for an absentee ballot can now go to any early voting site and request to vote early.

At the early voting site, they’ll have to sign an affidavit saying they have not received their absentee ballot and will then fill out an application for a new one. But instead of being issued a new one, they’ll be allowed to simply vote early, with their ballots run through the tabulator at the early voting site.

If a person who requested an absentee ballot but hasn’t received it decides to wait until Election Day, however, they will be given a provisional ballot.

Gonzalez told the Independent that provisional ballots go through a “different processing route. They’re hand tallied later that day, rather than being run through the tabulator.”

In a press release, the non-partisan coalition Election Protection said the new rule is needed because of the high number of absentee ballot requests this year:

Due to the incredibly high number of requests for vote-by-mail ballots, some clerks have been working around the clock to send out ballots, but either through that process or issues with mail, some voters still do not have their ballots.

Election Protection is composed of a diverse group of organizations, including Common Cause, the New Mexico Federation of Labor, and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights.

New Mexico Federation of Labor President Christine Trujillo said, “We want to ensure that every registered voter in New Mexico has the chance to vote this year. This instruction addresses an issue that has been a significant problem in a few pockets of the state.”

Election Protection has established a hotline in English (866-OUR-VOTE, which is 866-687-8683) and in Spanish (888-VE-Y-VOTA, which is 888-839-8682) for voters experiencing any problems voting, either at early sites, by mail or on Election Day. Voters regardless of party registration are encouraged to use this number if they have any questions about voting.