New Mexico Board of Regents Nominating Committees Amendment (2026)

New Mexico Board of Regents Nominating Committees Amendment
Election date November 3, 2026
Topic Higher education governance
Status On the ballot
Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

The New Mexico Board of Regents Nominating Committees Amendment is on the ballot in New Mexico as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 3, 2026.

A "yes" vote supports making changes to the Board of Regents, including establishing nominating committees to provide lists of candidates; providing that student members are appointed from a list provided by student governing body, and; prohibiting non-student members from changing political party twelve months preceding appointment.

A "no" vote opposes making changes to the Board of Regents, including establishing nominating committees to provide lists of candidates; providing that student members are appointed from a list provided by student governing body, and; prohibiting non-student members from changing political party twelve months preceding appointment.

Overview

What changes would this amendment make to the Board of Regents?

See also: Text of measure

The amendment would change the way appointments to the Board of Regents are made. It would establish nominating committees to provide lists of candidates to the Board, and require the governor to nominate regents from a list provided by nominating committees for each institution. For the student regent position, a list of candidates would be provided by the student governing body. The amendment would also prohibit non-student members from changing political party 12 months prior to their appointment. Under the amendment, the Board would also be limited so that no more than three regents belong to the same political party.

What is the Board of Regents?

See also: Background

The Board of Regents are the governing bodies that manage public universities in the state. Duties of the Board of Regents include providing fiduciary oversight, management, and establishment of policies to state universities. Currently, the members of the Board of Regents are appointed by the governor with approval by the Senate, and serve staggered six-year terms, except for the student regent, who serves a two-year term.

Seven state universities in Mexico are governed by a Board of Regents—Eastern New Mexico University, New Mexico Highlands University, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, New Mexico State University, Northern New Mexico College, University of New Mexico, and Western New Mexico University.

How did this amendment get on the ballot?

See also: Path to the ballot

In order for the state legislature to amend the New Mexico Constitution, a simple majority vote is required during one legislative session. This means 36 votes in the New Mexico House of Representatives and 22 votes in the New Mexico State Senate. Amendments do not require a governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

The amendment, House Joint Resolution 1 (HJR 1) was introduced to the House by Rep. Christine Chandler (D) on January 20, 2026. The House approved the measure on February 6, 2026, by. vote of 67-0. On February 17, 2026, the Senate approved the measure in a vote of 34-7.

Text of measure

Constitutional changes

See also: Article XII, New Mexico Constitution

The ballot measure would amend Section 13 of Article XII of the New Mexico Constitution. The following underlined text would be added and struck-through text would be deleted:

A. The legislature shall provide for the control and management of each of the institutions, except the university of New Mexico, by a board of regents for each institution, consisting of five members, four of whom shall be qualified electors of the state of New Mexico, one of whom shall be a member of the student body of the institution and no more than three of whom at the time of their appointment shall be members of the same political party; provided that, except for the student body member, members shall not have changed their political party registration in the twelve months preceding appointment; and provided however further that the student body member provision in this subsection shall not apply to the New Mexico school for the deaf, the New Mexico military institute or the New Mexico school for the blind and visually impaired, and for each of those three institutions all five members of the board of regents shall be qualified electors of the state of New Mexico.

B. The governor shall nominate from a list of names provided by a nominating committee for each institution, as provided by law, and by and with the consent of the senate shall appoint the members of each board of regents for each of the institutions. The terms of nonstudent members shall be for staggered terms of six years, and the terms of student members shall be two years.

C. The governor shall select, with the advice and consent of the senate, a student member from a list provided by the president an elected student governing body of the institution. In making the list, the president of the institution shall give due consideration to the recommendations of the student body president of the institution. Following the approval by the voters of this 2014 amendment and upon the first vacancy of a position on the northern New Mexico state school board of regents, the governor shall nominate and by and with the consent of the senate shall appoint a student member to serve a two-year term.

D. The legislature shall provide for the control and management of the university of New Mexico by a board of regents consisting of seven members, six of whom shall be qualified electors of the state of New Mexico, one of whom shall be a member of the student body of the university of New Mexico and no more than four of whom at the time of their appointment shall be members of the same political party; provided that, except for the student body member, members shall not have changed their political party registration in the twelve months preceding appointment. The governor shall nominate from a list of names provided by a nominating committee of the university, as provided by law, and by and with the consent of the senate shall appoint the members of the board of regents. The present five members shall serve out their present terms. The two additional members shall be appointed in 1987 for terms of six years. Following the approval by the voters of this amendment and upon the first vacancy of a position held by a nonstudent member on the university of New Mexico's board of regents, the governor shall nominate and by and with the consent of the senate shall appoint a student member to serve a two-year term. The governor shall select, with the advice and consent of the senate, a student member from a list provided by the president of the university of New Mexico. In making the list, the president of the university of New Mexico shall give due consideration to the recommendations of the student body president an elected student governing body of the university.

E. Members of the board shall not be removed except for incompetence, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office. Provided, however, no removal shall be made without notice of hearing and an opportunity to be heard having first been given such member. The supreme court of the state of New Mexico is hereby given exclusive original jurisdiction over proceedings to remove members of the board under such rules as it may promulgate, and its decision in connection with such matters shall be final.

F. The legislature shall provide for a nominating committee for each state educational institution enumerated in Article 12, Section 11 of this constitution to provide the governor a list of nominees for appointment of nonstudent members to the boards of regents of those institutions. The legislature shall provide for the appointment, terms, powers and duties of a nominating committee; provided that no more than fifty percent of the members of a nominating committee shall be members of the same political party; and provided further that members shall not have changed their political party registration in the six months twelve monthspreceding appointment.

Support

Supporters

Officials

• State Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D)
• State Rep. Chris Chandler

Opposition

Ballotpedia has not located a campaign in opposition to the ballot measure. You can share campaign information or arguments, along with source links for this information, with us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for New Mexico ballot measures

As of March 2026, Ballotpedia had not identified ballot measure committees registered to support or oppose the amendment.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Oppose	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Total	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00

Background

New Mexico Board of Regents

In New Mexico, the Board of Regents are the governing bodies that manage public universities in the state. Seven state universities—Eastern New Mexico University, New Mexico Highlands University, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, New Mexico State University, Northern New Mexico College, University of New Mexico, Western New Mexico University—are governed by a Board of Regents. Each of these universities has its own Board of Regents.

The first Board of Regents established in New Mexico was at the New Mexico State University (NMSU), which was founded in 1888 and is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico. The University of New Mexico and its Board of Regents was founded in 1889.

The duties of the Board of Regents included providing fiduciary oversight, management, and establishment of policies to state universities. As of 2026, the members of the Board of Regents were appointed by the governor with approval by the Senate, and served staggered six-year terms, except for the student regent, who served a two-year term.

Previous Board of Regents ballot measures

New Mexico voters previously approved three amendments related to the Board of Regents.

In 1986, voters approved an amendment that expanded the University of New Mexico Board of Regents from five members to seven members. The amendment was approved by 60.3%-39.7%.

In 1994, Amendment 3, which established the student regent at certain institutions, was approved by 59.1%-40.9%.

In 2014, voters approved Amendment 2, which added Northern New Mexico College (NNMC) to a list of state universities that were required to have a member of the student body serve on the board of regents. Voters approved the amendment by 64.6%-35.4%.

New Mexico ballot measure historical facts

In New Mexico, a total of 133 ballot measures appeared on statewide ballots between 1993 and 2024. Voters approved 111 ballot measures, and 22 ballot measures were defeated.

New Mexico statewide ballot measures, 1993-2024
Total number	Annual average	Annual minimum	Annual maximum	Approved		Defeated
				#	%	#	%
133	4	0	17	111	83.46%	22	16.54%

Path to the ballot

A simple majority vote is required during one legislative session for the New Mexico State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 36 votes in the New Mexico House of Representatives and 22 votes in the New Mexico State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

House Joint Resolution 1

The following is a timeline of the amendment:

• January 20, 2026: The measure, House Joint Resolution 1, was introduced by Rep. Christine Chandler (D) in the House.
• February 6, 2026: The House approved the measure in a vote of 67-0, with three members not voting. Forty-two (42) Democrats voted yes, 25 Republicans voted yes; two Democrats and one Republican did not vote.
• February 17, 2026: The Senate approved the measure in a vote of 34-7, with one member not voting. Twenty (20) Democrats and 14 Republicans voted yes, five Democrats and two Republicans voted no, and one Democrat did not vote.

Partisan Direction Index = 2.6 (Bipartisan)

Democratic Support

92.5%

Republican Support

95.1%

How does this vote compare to other legislative ballot measures in 2026?
Learn more about the ballot measures PDI →

New Mexico House of Representatives

Voted on February 6, 2026

Votes Required to Pass: 36
	Yes	No	NV
Total	67	0	3
Total %	95.7	0	4.3
Democratic (D)	42	0	2
Republican (R)	25	0	1

New Mexico State Senate

Voted on February 17, 2026

Votes Required to Pass: 22
	Yes	No	NV
Total	34	7	1
Total %
Democratic (D)	20	5	1
Republican (R)	14	2	0

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in New Mexico

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in New Mexico.

How to vote in New Mexico

Poll times

In New Mexico, all polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mountain Time on Election Day. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in New Mexico, each applicant must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of New Mexico, and at least 18 years old by the time of the next election. People convicted of a felony are eligible to vote after their prison time is completed, even if they are still on probation, parole, or another form of supervised release. Individuals who have been declared mentally incapacitated may not register to vote.

Potential New Mexico voters who were not registered automatically may use the New Mexico voter registration form, the national voter registration form, or the state's online voter registration portal to register. Completed registration materials may be mailed or delivered by hand to election officials. To register online, an applicant must have a state-issued ID. First-time applicants registering by mail must attach a valid form of identification to their registration materials. Acceptable forms of identification include a current and valid photo identification or a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, student identification card, or other government document, including tribal IDs that show the voter's name and current address.

Automatic registration

See also: Automatic voter registration

New Mexico has automatic voter registration. Eligible voters are automatically registered to vote when they interact with a department of motor vehicles unless they opt out.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

New Mexico has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

See also: Same-day voter registration

New Mexico allows same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

In New Mexico, individuals can register to vote as soon as they become residents of the state.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

New Mexico does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Six states — Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring individuals provide proof of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. Two states, Georgia and Mississippi, require a person provide proof of citizenship if their citizenship status cannot be verified by other means. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.

Voter ID requirements

New Mexico does not require voters to present identification while voting, in most cases.

The federal Help America Vote Act requires that individuals in all 50 states who register to vote by mail and who have not voted previously in a federal election in their state must provide either their driver's license or a paycheck, bank statement, current utility bill, or government document showing their name and address. Individuals voting by mail must include a copy of one of those documents with their absentee/mail-in ballot.

These requirements do not apply if an individual submitted a copy of their identification, their driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number when registering to vote. Voters in New Mexico can present the following forms of identification:

• Current and valid photo identification
• Current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, student identification card, or other government document, including identification issued by an Indian nation, tribe, or pueblo that shows the voter’s name and current address

Some municipalities require identification when voting in local elections. Click here for more information.

External links

• New Mexico House Joint Resolution 1

See also

2026 ballot measures

View other measures certified for the 2026 ballot across the U.S. and in New Mexico.

• 2026 ballot measures
• New Mexico 2026 ballot measures
• New Mexico elections, 2026

New Mexico ballot measures

Explore New Mexico's ballot measure history, including constitutional amendments.

• List of New Mexico ballot measures
• Higher education governance ballot measures
• New Mexico State Legislature

Legislative process

Understand how measures are placed on the ballot and the rules that apply.

• Legislatively referred constitutional amendment
• New Mexico Constitution
• Amending state constitutions

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