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Alex Naranjo recall, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico (2023-2025)
| Rio Arriba County Board of Commissioners recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2023-2025 Recalls in New Mexico New Mexico recall laws County commission recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Rio Arriba County Board of Commissioners Chairman Alex Naranjo in New Mexico was initiated in 2023 but did not go to a vote after the New Mexico Supreme Court dismissed the petition.
An initial complaint was filed on October 11.[1] Signature gathering began on May 2, 2024 after a district judge found probable cause that Naranjo violated the Open Meetings Act. Naranjo has appealed the decision.[2] Oral arguments in Naranjo's appeal began on December 12, 2024, in front of the New Mexico Supreme Court.[3]
On July 9, 2025, the New Mexico Supreme Court dismissed the recall petition against Naranjo. The court said that the petitioners failed to establish probable cause that Naranjo had committed malfeasance by violating the Open Meetings Act.[4]
Recall supporters
Recall supporters argued that Naranjo had committed perjury before a special grand jury investigating the North Central Solid Waste Authority, did not follow the Open Meetings Act in his decision to place a statute of Juan de Oñate at a county office building, and hired the county manager outside of a county commission meeting.[1]
Recall opponents
Naranjo responded to the recall attempt by arguing that he was not in violation of the Open Meetings Act.[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in New Mexico
New Mexico allows the following grounds for recall: malfeasance or misfeasance in office or violation of the oath of office.[5][6] The number of petition signatures required to put a recall on the ballot varies depending on office type. There is no time limit for gathering signatures.[7]
Recall context
- See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.
The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2024 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.
See also
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- Rio Arriba County, New Mexico
- Recall campaigns in New Mexico
- Political recall efforts, 2023
- Political recall efforts, 2024
- County commission recalls
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Rio Arriba County Board of Commissioners District II
- Rio Arriba County Clerk's Office
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Santa Fe New Mexican, "Petition seeks recall of Rio Arriba County Commission Chairman Alex Naranjo," October 18, 2023
- ↑ Rio Grande Sun, "Judge Approves Recall Petition," May 9, 2024
- ↑ Rio Grande Sun, "Peña Takes up Effort to Oust Alex Naranjo," August 15, 2024
- ↑ Santa Fe New Mexican, "New Mexico Supreme Court dismisses recall petition against Rio Arriba County commissioner," August 9, 2025
- ↑ New Mexico Constitution, "Art. X, § 9. Recall of elected county official," accessed October 16, 2023
- ↑ New Mexico Constitution, "Art. XII, § 14. Recall of school board member," accessed October 16, 2023
- ↑ LegiScan, "New Mexico House Bill 49," accessed April 3, 2019
