Some early voters say they haven't heard of the candidates on the lower part of the ballot or of the bonds they have to choose from.
Bernalillo Country Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver said she often sees the bottoms of ballots left blank.
"As a general rule, we do see that the majority of votes cluster towards the top of the ballot," she said. "So you know presidential, Senate - with the races that are really hot, where there is a lot of information - then that tends to trickle off toward the bottom of the ballot."
Student Calen McKenzie said he voted early and knew whom he was voting for until he got to the judges and attorneys.
"A lot of times I just gave them the benefit of the doubt so that they could keep their job," he said. "A lot of the bond issues I voted for even though I don't know that much about them. I believe in government spending."
McKenzie said he knew whom he would choose for president, senator and representative, but he and his friends were not sure whom to vote for as they went farther down the ballot.
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"Some other people had voted against (unfamiliar candidates) and said that you should just cycle them out and get some new people in there," McKenzie said.
Political science professor Lonna Atkeson said voters who do not research candidates and their platforms make a choice using other factors.
"Sometimes you use descriptive information, descriptive representation issues. You know, is it a woman? Is it a man? Party? That kind of thing," she said. "Those are all cues that we all use."
McKenzie said many voters choose based on their party affiliation.
"People like to say they don't vote along party lines, but more often than not I think they do," he said.
Atkeson said party affiliation isn't the only criterion for voters.
"Voters use different cues," she said. "Those cues are probably less likely to come from another office than they are from their peers, their family members and people they know and their group that they belong to. Those are the kind of cues that tell people where their values are."
Toulouse Oliver said it is important for voters to familiarize themselves with every office and candidate on the ballot before they go to the polls.
"I would encourage anybody who is going to vote to do the best they can to educate themselves on everything that is on the ballot," she said. "That is not necessarily an easy task, but there are some resources out there."
The League of Women Voters and the Alibi distribute voting guides, which are a good resource for all voters, Toulouse Oliver said.
Nonpartisan resources
