Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron's office has fielded more than 500 complaints from Bernalillo County voters complaining of errors on newly issued voter identification cards.

There could be thousands more errors for registered voters who moved but never told county clerks.

What does this mean for people voting in Tuesday's primary? It depends on whom you ask. Here's a rundown:

What is the problem?

Vigil-Giron's office is mailing voter ID cards to 1.1 million registered New Mexico voters, with Bernalillo County receiving the first batches.

Vigil-Giron said voters have said their names are misspelled or their addresses, party affiliation, birth dates or Social Security numbers are incorrect.

How widespread is the problem?

Vigil-Giron said her office received more than 400 complaints on Tuesday and Wednesday, with 100 more on Thursday.

Bernalillo County Clerk Mary Herrera estimates at least 60,000 county voters may have erroneous cards or not receive them at all. That figure is based on a 2003 election deciding city-county unification where the ballots were mailed to homes. She said 70,000 were undeliverable because of incorrect addresses.

Vigil-Giron said it's likely that only Bernalillo County voters will be affected on Tuesday. The rest of the state isn't likely to receive the cards by then, she said.

Do I need the card to vote?

No.

Voters can use a photo ID, utility bill, bank statement or student or tribal ID. They can also provide - verbally or in writing - their name, year of birth and the last four digits of their Social Security number to satisfy ID requirements.

If you receive the card, and it's accurate, you can use it as your voting identification, Vigil-Giron said.

What should I do if my card is incorrect?

Contact your county clerk, who will input accurate information into the statewide voter registration database.

A corrected card won't be available in time for Tuesday's primary. But it should be fixed by the Nov. 7 general election, Vigil-Giron said.

Could these errors lead to voter fraud?

Some say that's a possibility, including State Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort, an Albuquerque Republican who is unopposed as the GOP lieutenant governor candidate.

"These cards are being mailed out to who knows where," said Beffort, who voted against the 2005 legislation that enacted the voter ID requirement. "We're finding they're being mailed to people that are dead. Can someone just take that card in there and vote?"

State Sen. Gerry Ortiz y Pino, an Albuquerque Democrat who supported the legislation, said there's no foolproof system and the card errors aren't as threatening as some say.

"I don't think the problem is people voting multiple times. I think that's a fantasy fear," he said. "The real concern I have is people have been discouraged from even exercising their rights."

Vigil-Giron said New Mexicans are an honest lot, not willing to take the risk to commit the fourth-degree felony that is voter fraud.

"I like to think that we have trusting individuals that live in our state that will mail back and send us back any duplicate voter registrations," Vigil-Giron said. "We're only talking about the possibility of voter fraud. Let's see if that's actually going to be the case."