New Mexico Bond Question 3, Public Education Bond Issue (2022)

New Mexico Bond Question 3
Election date November 8, 2022
Topic Bond issues
Status a Approved
Type Bond issue	Origin State Legislature

New Mexico Bond Question 3, the Public Education Bond Issue, was on the ballot in New Mexico as a legislatively referred bond question on November 8, 2022. The ballot measure was approved.

A "yes" vote supported authorizing the sale and issuance of $215,986,000 in bonds for improvements to higher education, special public schools, and tribal schools.

A "no" vote opposed authorizing the sale and issuance of $215,986,000 in bonds for improvements to higher education, special public schools, and tribal schools.

The 2022 bond package included two other bond measures totaling approximately $259,722,000 in bonds.

Election results

New Mexico Bond Question 3
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		392,064	61.28%
No		247,779	38.72%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

What did the bond fund?

See also: Text of measure

Bond Question 3 issued no more than $215,986,000 in general obligation bonds to make capital improvements for higher education, special schools, and tribal schools. A general obligation bond is public debt and is paid for through state funds, specifically funds from a statewide property tax in New Mexico. The bond measure was designed to be distributed as follows:

Click show to expand the bond revenue table.

New Mexico Public Education Bond (2022)
Recipient	Amount
Roswell branch campus of Eastern New Mexico University	$2,475,000
Eastern New Mexico University in Portales	$9,000,000
Central New Mexico Community College	$15,000,000
Clovis Community College	$1,685,000
New Mexico Junior College	$2,100,000
Navajo Technical University	$4,000,000
Shiprock Branch Campus of Dine College	$5,000,000
San Juan College in Farmington	$3,000,000
Luna Community College in Las Vegas	$1,500,000
Santa Fe Community College	$2,300,000
New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired	$4,000,000
New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas	$4,500,000
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Playas	$5,000,000
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro	$3,300,000
New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell	$4,000,000
New Mexico School for the Deaf	$1,400,000
New Mexico State University in Las Cruces	$48,500,000
Dona Ana Branch Community College Campuses of New Mexico State University	$1,350,000
Grants Branch Campus of New Mexico State University	$1,250,000
Espanola and El Rito Campuses of Northern New Mexico State School	$3,000,000
University of New Mexico in Albuquerque	$81,000,000
Gallup Branch Campus of the University of New Mexico	$3,000,000
Los Alamos Branch Campus of the University of New Mexico	$1,300,000
Taos Branch Campus of the University of New Mexico	$3,000,000
Valencia Branch Campus of the University of New Mexico	$900,000
Western New Mexico University in Deming	$2,000,000
Western New Mexico University in Silver City	$2,000,000

What was the history of bond measures in New Mexico?

See also: Background

Voters of New Mexico cast ballots on 28 bond issues, totaling $1.4 billion in value, between January 1, 2006, and January 1, 2020. All but one bond issue question—a $155.57 million bond for higher education—was approved. As of June 30, 2020, the state debt from general obligation bonds was $497.3 million and the state debt from general obligation bonds per state resident was $234.87.

How did Bond Question 3 get on the ballot?

See also: Path to the ballot

In New Mexico, both chambers of the New Mexico State Legislature need to approve a bond issue by a simple majority during one legislative session to send a bond measure to the governor's desk.

Bond Question 3 was introduced as House Bill 153 on January 26, 2022. It included three separate bond measure questions, including this measure. The other two bond measures issued bonds for senior citizen facilities and public libraries. On February 12, 2022, the state House passed HB 153 in a vote of 66-2, with two excused. On February 15, 2022, the state Senate passed HB 153 in a vote of 37-0, five absent or excused. On March 9, 2022, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed the bill, sending the bond package to the 2022 ballot.

Text of measure

Ballot question

The ballot question was as follows:

“

The 2022 Capital Projects General Obligation Bond Act authorizes the issuance and sale of higher education, special schools and tribal schools capital improvement and acquisition bonds. Shall the state be authorized to issue general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed two hundred fifteen million nine hundred eighty-six thousand dollars ($215,986,000) to make capital expenditures for certain higher education, special schools and tribal schools capital improvements and acquisitions and provide for a general property tax imposition and levy for the payment of principal of, interest on and expenses incurred in connection with the issuance of the bonds and the collection of the tax as permitted by law?

”

Full text

The full text of the ballot measure is below:

Readability score

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2022

Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The state legislature wrote the ballot language for this measure.

The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 27, and the FRE is -2. The word count for the ballot title is 107.

Support

State Representative Christine Chandler (D) sponsored the bond measure package.

If you are aware of any supporters or supporting arguments that should be included here, please send an email with a link to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Opposition

If you are aware of any opponents or opposing arguments that should be included here, please send an email with a link to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for New Mexico ballot measures

The campaign finance information on this page reflects the most recent scheduled reports that Ballotpedia has processed, which covered through January 9, 2023.

Ballotpedia identified one committee registered in support of Bond Question 3—Go Bonds For Education. The committee reported $348,710.00 in contributions.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$348,710.00	$0.00	$348,710.00	$101,005.67	$101,005.67
Oppose	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Total	$348,710.00	$0.00	$348,710.00	$101,005.67	$101,005.67

Support

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committees in support of the measure.

Committees in support of Bond Question 3
Committee	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Go Bonds For Education	$348,710.00	$0.00	$348,710.00	$101,005.67	$101,005.67
Total	$348,710.00	$0.00	$348,710.00	$101,005.67	$101,005.67

Donors

The following were the top donors who contributed to the support committees.

Donor	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions
UNM Foundation	$129,300.00	$0.00	$129,300.00
NMSU Foundation	$84,800.00	$0.00	$84,800.00
Central New Mexico Community College Foundation	$35,900.00	$0.00	$35,900.00
Eastern New Mexico University Foundation	$21,000.00	$0.00	$21,000.00
New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology Foundation	$11,000.00	$0.00	$11,000.00

Background

Voter approval of bonds in New Mexico

See also: Section 8 of Article IX of the New Mexico Constitution

Section 8 of Article IX of the New Mexico Constitution authorizes the state to pass a law to contract debt in the form of general obligation bonds and levy a tax. The law must be voted upon by a simple majority of voters and published in full in at least one newspaper in each county of the state. The state constitution also limits the amount of state debt: "No debt shall be so created if the total indebtedness of the state, exclusive of the debts of the territory, and the several counties thereof, assumed by the state, would thereby be made to exceed one percent of the assessed valuation of all the property subject to taxation in the state as shown by the preceding general assessment."

Bond issues on the ballot in New Mexico

See also: Bond issues on the ballot

Voters of New Mexico cast ballots on 28 bond issues, totaling approximately $1.4 billion in value, from January 1, 2006, through January 1, 2022. All but one bond issue, a $155.57 million bond in 2010 to provide capital expenditures for higher education and special schools, was approved. This means that voters in New Mexico approved 96.4% of bond issues on the ballot between 2006 and 2020.

The following table contains information on the 28 bond issues that appeared on the ballot in New Mexico between January 1, 2006, through January 1, 2022:

Year	Measure	Amount	Primary purpose	Outcome
2006	Question A	$15,958,000	Senior citizen facilities	a
2006	Question B	$118,360,000	Higher education	a
2006	Question C	$9,090,000	Public libraries	a
2008	Question A	$14,725,000	Senior citizen facilities	a
2008	Question B	$11,019,000	Public libraries	a
2008	Question C	$57,925,000	Health facilities	a
2008	Question D	$140,133,000	Higher education	a
2010	Question A	$7,790,320	Senior citizen facilities	a
2010	Question B	$7,082,110	Public libraries	a
2010	Question C	$5,100,000	K-12 education	a
2010	Question D	$155,567,824	Higher education	d
2012	Question A	$10,335,000	Senior citizen facilities	a
2012	Question B	$9,830,000	Public libraries	a
2012	Question C	$120,000,000	Higher education	a
2014	Question A	$17,000,000	Senior citizen facilities	a
2014	Question B	$11,000,000	Public libraries	a
2014	Question C	$141,000,000	Higher education	a
2016	Question A	$15,440,000	Senior citizen facilities	a
2016	Question B	$10,167,000	Public libraries	a
2016	Question C	$142,356,000	Higher education	a
2016	Question D	$18,196,000	Public safety facilities	a
2018	Question A	$10,700,000	Senior citizen facilities	a
2018	Question B	$12,876,000	Public libraries	a
2018	Question C	$6,137,000	School buses	a
2018	Question D	$128,405,000	Higher education	a
2020	Question A	$33,300,000	Senior citizen facilities	a
2020	Question B	$9,700,000	Public libraries	a
2020	Question C	$156,300,000	Higher education	a

General obligation bond debt

The New Mexico state treasurer provides an overview of the state’s debt resulting from general obligation bonds, which include all voter-approved bonds, each year on June 30. A general obligation bond is public debt and is paid for through state funds, specifically funds from a statewide property tax in New Mexico.

According to the state treasurer's overview on June 30, 2020, New Mexico had $497.33 million in debt from general obligation bonds. The graph below provides an illustration of state debt from general obligation bonds between June 30, 1998, and June 30, 2020:

Using population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, Ballotpedia calculated the per person amount of general obligation bond debt in New Mexico by year. On June 30, 2020, the general obligation bond debt per New Mexican resident was $234.87. Between 1998 and 2020, the per person debt peaked in 2018 at $240.26. The graph below provides an illustration of state debt from general obligation bonds per New Mexican resident between June 30, 1998, and June 30, 2020:

Path to the ballot

See also: Legislatively-referred state statute

In New Mexico, both chambers of the New Mexico State Legislature need to approve a bond issue by a simple majority during one legislative session to send a bond measure to the governor's desk and then to the ballot for voter consideration if the governor does not veto the legislation.

Bond Question 3 was introduced as House Bill 153 on January 26, 2022. On February 12, 2022, the state House passed HB 153 in a vote of 66-2, with two excused. On February 15, 2022, the state Senate passed HB 153 in a vote of 37-0, five absent or excused. On March 9, 2022, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed the bill, sending the bond package to the 2022 ballot.

Vote in the New Mexico House of Representatives February 12, 2022
Requirement: Simple majority of those voting in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 35  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	66	2	2
Total percent	94.28%	2.86%	2.86%
Democrat	43	0	2
Republican	22	2	0
Independent	1	0	0

Vote in the New Mexico State Senate February 15, 2022
Requirement: Simple majority of those voting in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 19  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	37	0	5
Total percent	92.50%	0.00%	7.50%
Democrat	23	0	3
Republican	14	0	1
Independent	0	0	1

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, which includes 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. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. 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.

See also

2022 measures

• 2022 ballot measures
• Bond issues on the ballot

New Mexico

• New Mexico ballot measures
• New Mexico ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• Full text