New Mexico Eliminate Governor’s Pocket Veto and Require Veto Explanations Amendment (2026)

New Mexico Eliminate Governor’s Pocket Veto and Require Veto Explanations Amendment
Election date November 3, 2026
Topic State executive powers and duties
Status On the ballot
Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

The New Mexico Eliminate Governor’s Pocket Veto and Require Veto Explanations Amendment is on the ballot in New Mexico as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 3, 2026.

A "yes" vote supports this constitutional amendment to: require bills to become law if the governor does not sign or veto them within the required timeframe, eliminating the governor's pocket veto, and require the governor to provide a substantive explanation for vetoes.

A "no" vote opposes this constitutional amendment, keeping the current system where the governor can let bills expire without taking action, known as a pocket veto, and decide whether to provide explanations for vetoes.

Overview

How would this amendment change the legislative process in New Mexico?

See also: Text of measure

The amendment would provide that bills automatically become law if the governor does not sign or veto them within three days during the legislative session or within 20 days for bills presented during the last three days of the legislative session.

Currently, the governor has the power to pocket veto legislation, which means that the governor effectively vetoes any bill not signed within the required timeframe. The governor has three days upon receiving the approved bill to sign or veto it during the legislative session. The governor has 20 days to act on bills presented during the last three days of the session. If the governor vetoes a bill, the state legislature can override the veto with a two-thirds supermajority vote during the special or next legislative session.

The constitutional amendment would also require the governor to provide a substantive explanation for a vetoed bill, in whole or in part, to the state legislature, regardless of whether it is in session. Currently, the governor is only required to explain while the legislature is in session.

The amendment would also change all references to the governor to gender-neutral language.

How many bills get pocket vetoed in New Mexico every session?

See also: Bills vetoed in New Mexico, 2014-2024

Between 2014 and 2024, 160 bills were vetoed, of which 143 were pocket vetoed, according to the New Mexico Legislative Council Service. The year with the most was 2017, when 56 bills were pocket vetoed. At the time, the state legislature was controlled by Democrats, and the office of governor was Republican. Currently, New Mexico is a Democratic trifecta and triplex, where the Democratic Party controls the offices of the governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and both chambers of the state legislature. There were only two pocket vetoes in 2024.

Who supports and opposes the amendment?

See also: Support and Opposition

The amendment was unanimously supported by all voting members of both parties. State Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-31): “[The amendment] empowers us and gives us the opportunity to do a better job of trying to overcome that veto in a later session, and ultimately, that should be part of good government.”

Kyle Duffy, deputy general counsel for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D), submitted the following testimony during the legislative process: "This is ill-advised, as there may be a number of reasons for a governor to choose to pocket veto a bill rather than formally veto it. For example, the pocket veto allows the Governor to disapprove of legislation based on unforeseen issues without being compelled to publicly disclose sensitive information in a veto message. The pocket veto also serves the vital purpose of ensuring that the Governor has a suitable opportunity to consider the bills presented to him or her in the final days of a session—many of which are lengthy and complex."

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title is as follows:

“

Proposing an amendment to Article 4, Section 22 of the Constitution of New Mexico to require the governor to provide veto messages on all bills vetoed in whole or in part and to provide that all bills passed by the legislature and not acted on by the governor will become law.

”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article IV, New Mexico Constitution

The measure would amend section 22 of Article IV of the state constitution. The following underlined text would be added, and struck-through text would be deleted:

A. Every bill passed by the legislature shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the governor for approval. If he the governor approves, he the governor shall sign it and deposit it with the secretary of state; otherwise, he if the governor disapproves, the governor shall veto it and return it to the house in which it originated with his objections, which shall to be entered at large upon the journal; and such bill shall not become a law unless thereafter approved by two-thirds of the members present and voting in each house by yea and nay vote entered upon its journal. Any bill not returned by the governor within three days, Sundays excepted, after being presented to him the governor, shall become a law, whether signed by him the governor or not, unless the legislature by adjournment prevent such return.

B. Every bill presented to the governor during the last three days of the session shall be approved or vetoed by him the governor within twenty days after the adjournment and shall be by him the governor immediately deposited with the secretary of state. Unless so approved and signed vetoed by him the governor, such a bill passed by the legislature shall not become a law.

C. The governor may in like manner approve or disapprove any part or parts, item or items, of any bill appropriating money, and such parts or items approved shall become a law, and such as are disapproved shall be void unless passed over his the governor's veto as herein provided.

D. Any veto of a bill in whole or in part by the governor shall include a substantive explanation for the veto. The explanation for the veto shall be returned with the bill to the house in which the bill originated or deposited with the bill with the secretary of state, as herein provided.

Full text

The full text of the amendment can be read here.

Support

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

Supporters

Officials

• State Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D)
• State Rep. Matthew McQueen (D)

Organizations

• Common Cause New Mexico

Arguments

• Molly Swank, executive director of Common Cause New Mexico: "Transparency from our government is essential to maintaining trust and accountability."
• State Rep. Matthew McQueen (D-50): Voicing his support for requiring the governor to submit veto messages, McQueen said, "There was a bill we worked on for the land grant committee, and it got vetoed three different times by two different governors. We literally didn't know why, and we kept passing the same bill because we weren't getting guidance on what the objection was to the bill."
• Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-31): “[The amendment] empowers us and gives us the opportunity to do a better job of trying to overcome that veto in a later session, and ultimately, that should be part of good government.”

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.

Arguments

• Kyle Duffy, deputy general counsel for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D): "This is ill-advised, as there may be a number of reasons for a governor to choose to pocket veto a bill rather than formally veto it. For example, the pocket veto allows the Governor to disapprove of legislation based on unforeseen issues without being compelled to publicly disclose sensitive information in a veto message. The pocket veto also serves the vital purpose of ensuring that the Governor has a suitable opportunity to consider the bills presented to him or her in the final days of a session—many of which are lengthy and complex."

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 September 7, 2025. The deadline for the next scheduled reports is October 14, 2025.

Ballotpedia has not identified any committees registered in support of or opposition to 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

Bills vetoed in New Mexico, 2014-2024

The New Mexico Legislative Council Service reported that 160 bills were vetoed between 2014 and 2024. The year with the most vetoes (pocket, whole, or in part) was 2017, with 137 bills, 56 of which were pocket vetoed. The year with the lowest number of vetoes was 2024, with nine, including two pocket vetoes. Between 2014 and 2018, New Mexico had a divided government where the state legislature was divided or controlled by Democrats, and the governor was Republican. In 2019, New Mexico became a Democratic trifecta where Democrats controlled both chambers of the state legislature and the office of governor.

States that authorize pocket vetoes

As of 2025, 13 states allow pocket vetoes, in which the governor's inaction on a bill within a specific timeline effectively vetoes it.

Path to the ballot

Amending the New Mexico Constitution

See also: Amending the New Mexico Constitution

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 2 (2025)

The following is the timeline of the constitutional amendment in the state legislature:

• January 22, 2025: House Joint Resolution 2 (HJR 2) was introduced.
• January 29, 2025: The House Committee on Government, Elections, and Indian Affairs reported a "Do Pass" recommendation on HJR 2.
• February 15, 2025: The House Judiciary Committee reported a "Do Pass" recommendation with amendments on HJR 2.
• February 27, 2025: The New Mexico House of Representatives passed HJR 2 by a vote of 66-0 with four absent or excused.
• March 3, 2025: The Senate Rules Committee reported a "Do Pass" recommendation.
• March 13, 2025: The Senate Judiciary Committee reported a "Do Pass" recommendation. The New Mexico State Senate passed HJR 2 by a vote of 38-0 with four excused.

Vote in the New Mexico House of Representatives February 27, 2025
Requirement: Simple majority of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 36  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	66	0	4
Total percent	94.3%	0.0%	5.7%
Democrat	40	0	4
Republican	26	0	0

Vote in the New Mexico State Senate March 13, 2025
Requirement: Simple majority of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 22  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	38	0	4
Total percent	90.5%	0.0%	9.5%
Democrat	22	0	4
Republican	16	0	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, 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. 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. However, if an individual registered to vote for the first time by mail and did not provide verification of his or her identity then, the voter will have to show identification.

Those voters 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

2026 measures

• 2026 ballot measures
• State executive official measures 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

• New Mexico House Joint Resolution 2 (2025)

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