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New Mexico 2020 ballot measures
- Election date: Nov. 3
- Registration deadline(s): Oct. 31 (in person); Oct. 6 (online; by mail)
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Recount laws
- Early voting starts: Oct. 17
- Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Nov. 3 (received)
- Processing, counting, and challenging absentee/mail-in ballots
- Voter ID: No ID
- Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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Five statewide ballot measures were certified to appear on the ballot in New Mexico on November 3, 2020. Voters approved all five measures.
On the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LRCA | Constitutional Amendment 1 | Government | Makes the Public Regulation Commission a three-member appointed commission |  |
| LRCA | Constitutional Amendment 2 | Elections | Amends the New Mexico Constitution to allow for laws that adjust the date of election and term for non-statewide officeholders | |
| BI | Bond Question A | Bond issues | Issues $33.3 million in bonds for senior citizen facility improvements | |
| BI | Bond Question B | Bond issues | Issues $9.7 million in bonds for public libraries | |
| BI | Bond Question C | Bond issues | Issues $156.3 million in bonds for public higher education institutions, special public schools, and tribal schools | |
Summary of campaign contributions
- See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2020
The following chart illustrates how much support and opposition committees received in campaign contributions for each measure on the ballot:
| Ballot Measure | Support Contributions | Oppose Contributions | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico Bond Question A, Senior Citizens Facilities Bond Issue (2020) | $0.00 | $0.00 |
|
| New Mexico Bond Question B, Public Libraries Bond Issue (2020) | $0.00 | $0.00 |
|
| New Mexico Bond Question C, Public Education Bond Issue (2020) | $275,350.00 | $0.00 |
|
| New Mexico Constitutional Amendment 1, Appointed Public Regulation Commission Amendment (2020) | $745,000.00 | $0.00 |
|
| New Mexico Constitutional Amendment 2, Elections and Terms of Non-Statewide Officeholders Amendment (2020) | $0.00 | $0.00 |
|
Getting measures on the ballot
Citizens
In New Mexico, citizens have the power to initiate veto referendums, which seek to repeal legislation, but not initiatives, which seek to enact legislation. Electors approved the power to initiate veto referendums in the state's constitution on November 5, 1911, which went into effect when New Mexico became a state on January 6, 1912.
Legislature
The New Mexico State Legislature can refer statewide ballot measures, in the form of constitutional amendments and bond issue, to the ballot.
New Mexico requires a simple majority vote in each legislative chamber during one legislative session to refer a constitutional amendment to the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 36 votes in the New Mexico House of Representatives and 22 votes in the New Mexico Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
Bond issues require a simple majority vote in each legislative chamber during one legislative session and the governor's signature to appear on the ballot. Bills proposing bond issues require the governor's signature for the bond issues to go on the ballot. The governor can use a partial veto to remove projects from bond legislation. In New Mexico, general obligation bonds require voter approval.
Referral of 2020 constitutional amendment
The following table illustrates the vote requirements for the constitutional amendment certified for the ballot, the votes the amendment received, and how Democrats and Republicans voted on the amendment in each legislative chamber:
| New Mexico Bond Question C, Public Education Bond Issue | Democrats | Republicans | |||
| Senate: | Required: 22 | Yes votes: 41 (97.62%) | No votes: 0 (0.00%) | Yes: 25; No: 0 | Yes: 16; No: 0 |
| House: | Required: 36 | Yes votes: 66 (94.29%) | No votes: 0 (0.00%) | Yes: 43; No: 0 | Yes: 23; No: 0 |
| New Mexico Bond Question A, Senior Citizens Facilities Bond Issue | Democrats | Republicans | |||
| Senate: | Required: 22 | Yes votes: 41 (97.62%) | No votes: 0 (0.00%) | Yes: 25; No: 0 | Yes: 16; No: 0 |
| House: | Required: 36 | Yes votes: 66 (94.29%) | No votes: 0 (0.00%) | Yes: 43; No: 0 | Yes: 23; No: 0 |
| New Mexico Bond Question B, Public Libraries Bond Issue | Democrats | Republicans | |||
| Senate: | Required: 22 | Yes votes: 41 (97.62%) | No votes: 0 (0.00%) | Yes: 25; No: 0 | Yes: 16; No: 0 |
| House: | Required: 36 | Yes votes: 66 (94.29%) | No votes: 0 (0.00%) | Yes: 43; No: 0 | Yes: 23; No: 0 |
Historical facts
- See also: List of New Mexico ballot measures
Between 1995 and 2018, the following occurred:
- Ballots featured 97 ballot measures.
- An average of eight measures appeared on even-year ballots in New Mexico.
- An average of four to five constitutional amendments appeared on even-year ballots in New Mexico.
- An average of three to four bond measures appeared on even-year ballots in New Mexico.
- Voters approved 87 percent (84 of 97) and rejected 13 percent (13 of 97) of the ballot measures.
- Voters approved 85 percent (47 of 55) and rejected 15 percent (eight of 55) of the constitutional amendments.
- Voters approved 88 percent (37 of 42) and rejected 12 percent (five of 42) of the bond measures.
- There were zero veto referendums on the ballot.
| Ballot measures in New Mexico, 1995-2018 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Total number | Approved | Percent approved | Defeated | Percent defeated | Even-year average | Even-year median | Even-year minimum | Even-year maximum | |
| All measures | 97 | 84 | 86.6% | 13 | 13.4% | 7.9 | 7.5 | 5 | 14 | |
| Amendments | 55 | 47 | 85.5% | 8 | 14.5% | 4.4 | 5.0 | 1 | 9 | |
| Bond issues | 42 | 37 | 88.1% | 5 | 11.9% | 3.5 | 4.0 | 0 | 5 | |
Not on the ballot
The list below contains measures that were proposed and reached a certain stage in the initiative or referral process, but did not make the ballot.
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VR | Background Checks for Firearm Sales Referendum | Firearms | Would have repealed Senate Bill 8, which expanded background checks on firearm sales | 
|
| LRCA | Land Grant Permanent Fund Distribution for Pre-Kindergarten Education Amendment | Budgets | Distributions from the Land Grant Permanent Fund for pre-kindergarten educational services |
|
| LRCA | Surviving Spouse of First Responder Tax Exemption Amendment | Taxes | Property tax exemption for surviving spouses of first responders |
|
| LRCA | Public Officer Salary Commission Amendment | Salaries | Commission to determine salaries for officials |
|
| LRCA | Runoff Elections Amendment | Elections | Statewide runoff elections |
|
| LRCA | College Regent Nominating Committees Amendment | Education | College regent nominating committees |
|
| LRCA | Counties Allowed to Request Probate Court Elimination Amendment | Municipal | Counties to request that their probate court be eliminated |
|
| LRCA | Funding for Early Childhood Programs Amendment | State budget and Education | Funds devoted to early childhood programs from the Land Grant Permanent Fund |
|
| LRCA | Appellate Judges Nominating Commission Amendment | State judiciary and Administration of government | Dean of the University of New Mexico School of Law designee to serve in their place on the Appellate Judges Nominating Commission |
|
State profile
| Demographic data for New Mexico | ||
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 2,080,328 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 121,298 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 73.2% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 2.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.4% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 9.1% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 3.3% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 47.4% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 84.2% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 26.3% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $44,963 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 24.7% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in New Mexico. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in New Mexico
New Mexico voted for the Democratic candidate in six out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, three are located in New Mexico, accounting for 1.46 percent of the total pivot counties.[1]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. New Mexico had three Retained Pivot Counties, 1.66 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More New Mexico coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in New Mexico
- United States congressional delegations from New Mexico
- Public policy in New Mexico
- Endorsers in New Mexico
- New Mexico fact checks
- More...
See also
- 2020 ballot measures
- List of New Mexico ballot measures
- Laws governing the initiative process in New Mexico
- New Mexico Legislature
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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