New Mexico House of Representatives

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New Mexico House of
Representatives
SLP-Infobox Image-Color.png
General Information
Party control:   Democrat
Session start:[1]   January 19, 2021
Session end:[1]   March 20, 2021
Term length:   2 years
Term limits:   None
Redistricting:  Legislature-dominant
Salary:   $0/year + per diem
Members
Total:  70
Democrats:  45
Republicans:  24
Other:  1 (independent)
Vacancies:  0
Leadership
Speaker:   Brian Egolf, Jr. (D)
Maj. Leader:   Javier I. Martínez (D)
Min. Leader:   James Townsend (R)
Elections
Last election:  November 3, 2020
Next election:  November 8, 2022

The New Mexico House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the New Mexico State Legislature. Alongside the New Mexico State Senate, it forms the legislative branch of the New Mexico state government and works alongside the governor of New Mexico to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the New Mexico House of Representatives include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

The New Mexico House of Representatives meets in the state capitol building in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

  • All 70 seats in the New Mexico House of Representatives were up for election in 2020. The chamber's Democratic majority decreased from 46-24 to 44-25 with one independent. Click to read more »
  • New Mexico has a Democratic state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers. As of October 10, 2021, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 15 Democratic trifectas, and 12 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control. In the 2020 election, Republicans had a net gain of two trifectas and two states under divided government became trifectas. Prior to that election, New Mexico had a Democratic trifecta. There were 21 Republican trifectas, 15 Democratic trifectas, and 14 divided governments.

    • This page contains the following information on the New Mexico House of Representatives.

    Party control

    Current partisan control

    The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the New Mexico House of Representatives as of October 2021:

    Party As of October 2021
         Democratic Party 45
         Republican Party 24
         Independent 1
         Vacancies 0
    Total 70

    Members

    Leadership

    The speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body.[2]

    Current leadership and members


    Office Name Party Date assumed office
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 1 Rodney Montoya Republican January 20, 2015
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 2 James R.J. Strickler Republican 2007
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 3 T. Ryan Lane Republican January 19, 2021
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 4 Anthony Allison Democratic January 15, 2019
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 5 Doreen Wonda Johnson Democratic January 20, 2015
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 6 Eliseo Alcon Democratic 2009
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 7 Kelly K. Fajardo Republican 2013
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 8 Alonzo Baldonado Republican January 18, 2011
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 9 Patricia Lundstrom Democratic 2001
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 10 G. Andres Romero Democratic January 20, 2015
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 11 Javier Martínez Democratic January 20, 2015
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 12 Brittney Barreras Democratic January 19, 2021
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 13 Patricia Roybal Caballero Democratic 2013
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 14 Miguel Garcia Democratic 1997
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 15 Dayan Hochman Democratic January 15, 2019
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 16 Antonio Maestas Democratic 2007
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 17 Deborah Armstrong Democratic January 20, 2015
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 18 Gail Chasey Democratic 1997
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 19 Viengkeo Kay Bounkeua Democratic August 24, 2021
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 20 Meredith Dixon Democratic January 19, 2021
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 21 Debra Sariñana Democratic 2017
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 22 Stefani Lord Republican January 19, 2021
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 23 Daymon Ely Democratic 2017
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 24 Elizabeth Thomson Democratic 2017
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 25 Christine Trujillo Democratic 2013
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 26 Georgene Louis Democratic 2013
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 27 Marian Matthews Democratic January 7, 2020
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 28 Pamelya Herndon Democratic June 22, 2021
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 29 Joy Garratt Democratic January 15, 2019
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 30 Natalie Figueroa Democratic January 15, 2019
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 31 William Rehm Republican 2007
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 32 Candie Sweetser Democratic 2017
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 33 Micaela Lara Cadena Democratic January 15, 2019
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 34 Raymundo Lara Democratic January 15, 2019
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 35 Angelica Rubio Democratic 2017
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 36 Nathan Small Democratic 2017
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 37 Joanne Ferrary Democratic 2017
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 38 Rebecca Dow Republican 2017
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 39 Luis Terrazas Republican January 19, 2021
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 40 Roger Montoya Democratic January 19, 2021
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 41 Susan Herrera Democratic January 15, 2019
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 42 Kristina Ortez Democratic January 19, 2021
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 43 Christine Chandler Democratic January 15, 2019
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 44 Jane Powdrell-Culbert Republican 2003
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 45 Linda Serrato Democratic October 17, 2020
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 46 Andrea Romero Democratic January 15, 2019
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 47 Brian Egolf Jr. Democratic 2009
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 48 Tara Lujan Democratic July 30, 2020
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 49 Gail Armstrong Republican 2017
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 50 Matthew McQueen Democratic January 20, 2015
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 51 Rachel Black Republican January 15, 2019
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 52 Doreen Y. Gallegos Democratic 2013
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 53 Willie Madrid Democratic January 15, 2019
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 54 James Townsend Republican January 20, 2015
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 55 Cathrynn Brown Republican January 18, 2011
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 56 Zachary Cook Republican 2009
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 57 Jason Harper Republican 2013
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 58 Candy Spence Ezzell Republican 2005
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 59 Greg Nibert Republican 2017
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 60 Joshua Hernandez Republican January 19, 2021
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 61 Randall Pettigrew Republican January 19, 2021
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 62 Larry Scott Republican January 20, 2015
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 63 Martin Ruben Zamora Republican January 15, 2019
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 64 Randal Crowder Republican January 20, 2015
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 65 Derrick Lente Democratic 2017
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 66 Phelps Anderson Independent January 15, 2019
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 67 Jack Chatfield Republican January 15, 2019
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 68 Karen Bash Democratic January 15, 2019
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 69 Harry Garcia Democratic 2016
    New Mexico House of Representatives District 70 Ambrose Castellano Democratic January 19, 2021


    Salaries

    See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
    State legislators
    SalaryPer diem
    $0/year$165/day (January and February); $194/day (March). Tied to federal rate. Vouchered.

    Swearing in dates

    See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

    New Mexico legislative terms expire on December 31 every two or four years, however, incumbents remain in office until their successor is officially sworn in on the third Tuesday in January after the election.[3]

    Membership qualifications

    See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

    Article 4, Section 3 of the New Mexico Constitution states:

    “ Senators shall not be less than twenty-five years of age and representatives not less than twenty-one years of age at the time of their election. If any senator or representative permanently removes his residence from or maintains no residence in the district from which he was elected, then he shall be deemed to have resigned and his successor shall be selected as provided in Section 4 of this article. No person shall be eligible to serve in the legislature who, at the time of qualifying, holds any office of trust or profit with the state, county or national governments, except notaries public and officers of the militia who receive no salary.[4] ”

    Historical party control

    Between 1992 and 2020, the New Mexico House of Representatives was controlled by Democrats with the exception of two years when the chamber was controlled by Republicans. The table below shows the partisan history of the New Mexico House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    New Mexico House of Representatives Party Control: 1992-2020

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20
    Democrats 52 46 42 40 42 42 42 42 45 37 38 33 38 46 44
    Republicans 18 24 28 30 28 28 28 28 25 33 32 37 32 24 25

    From 1992 to 2020, Democrats held control of the New Mexico House of Representatives with the exception of two years. Democrats had their largest majority following the 1992 election when they held a 34-seat advantage. House Democrats maintained their majority in elections between 1992 and 2012 but their majority declined over that time. In the 2010 elections, Democrats saw their majority decrease from 45-25 to 37-33.

    Republicans took control of the state House in the 2014 elections. Republicans picked up four seats in that election and won a 37-33 majority. Before Republicans took control of the chamber in 2014, the last time that they held a majority was in 1953.[5] The Republican gains from 2010 to 2014 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats all together.

    House Democrats rebounded in the 2016 and 2018 elections, picking up 13 seats and a 46-24 majority. After the 2020 elections, Democrats held a 44-25 majority with one independent in the chamber.

    Trifecta history

    A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Between 1992 and 2021, New Mexico was under the following types of trifecta control:

    • Democratic trifecta: 1992-1994, 2003-2010, 2019-2021
    • Republican trifecta: None
    • Divided government: 1995-2002, 2011-2018

    New Mexico Party Control: 1992-2021
    Fourteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
    Governor D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D
    Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
    House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R D D D D D

    Elections

    Elections by year

    New Mexico state representatives serve two-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years. New Mexico holds elections for its legislature in even years.

    2022

    See also: New Mexico House of Representatives elections, 2022

    Elections for the New Mexico House of Representatives will take place in 2022. The general election is on November 8, 2022.

    2020

    See also: New Mexico House of Representatives elections, 2020

    Elections for the office of New Mexico House of Representatives took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for June 2, 2020. The filing deadline was March 10, 2020.

    Heading into the election, Democrats had a 46-24 majority—one seat short of the 47-seat majority required to override a governor's veto. Democrats lost a net two seats, while Republicans gained a net one seat and one independent legislator was elected, leaving the chamber's post-election partisan balance at 44-25 with one independent.

    New Mexico House of Representatives
    Party As of November 3, 2020 After November 4, 2020
         Democratic Party 46 44
         Republican Party 24 25
         Independent 0 1
    Total 70 70

    2018

    See also: New Mexico House of Representatives elections, 2018

    Elections for the New Mexico House of Representatives took place in 2018. The closed primary election took place on June 5, 2018, and the general election was held on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was March 13, 2018.[6]

    In the 2018 elections, Democrats increased their majority in the New Mexico House of Representatives from 38-31 to 46-24.

    New Mexico House of Representatives
    Party As of November 6, 2018 After November 7, 2018
         Democratic Party 38 46
         Republican Party 31 24
         Vacancy 1 0
    Total 70 70

    2016

    See also: New Mexico House of Representatives elections, 2016

    Elections for the New Mexico House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 8, 2016. All 70 seats in the New Mexico House of Representatives were up for election in 2016.

    Heading into the election, Republicans held a 37-33 majority. Republicans lost five seats in the election. Democrats gained control of the chamber with a 38-32 majority as a result of the 2016 elections.

    New Mexico House of Representatives
    Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
         Democratic Party 33 38
         Republican Party 37 32
    Total 70 70

    Vacancies

    See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

    If there is a vacancy in the New Mexico State Legislature, the board of county commissioners is responsible for filling the vacancy. The governor will choose a new member from the list provided by the county boards in the district where the vacant seat is located. The governor is not required by law to appoint a member of the same political party as the last incumbent. There are no deadlines set by Article IV, Section 4 of the New Mexico Constitution which governs legislative vacancies. The appointed replacement serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.[14]

    DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: New Mexico Const. Art. 4, Sec. 4

    District map

    See also: New Mexico state legislative districts

    The state of New Mexico has 112 legislative districts. Each district elects one representative. The state Senate has 42 districts and the state House has 70 districts.

    Use the interactive map below to find your district.

    Redistricting

    See also: Redistricting in New Mexico

    In New Mexico, congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.[15]

    State statutes require that state legislative districts be contiguous and compact. Redistricting guidelines adopted in 2011 suggest that congressional and state legislative districts meet the following criteria:[15]

    1. All districts should be "reasonably compact."
    2. Districts should "not split voting precincts."
    3. Districts should "attempt to preserve communities of interest and take into consideration political and geographic boundaries."

    These guidelines are nonbinding and may be altered by the legislature at its discretion.[15]

    On April 6, 2021, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed SB304 into law, forming a seven-member advisory redistricting commission. The legislation bars public officials, candidates, political party officeholders, federal legislative or state employees, and the relatives of federal or state officeholders from serving on the commission. The commission's proposals do not bind the state legislature, which retains the authority to adopt, amend, or discard the proposals as it sees fit.[16]

    2020

    See also: Redistricting in New Mexico after the 2020 census

    Upon completion of the 2020 census, New Mexico will draft and enact new district maps. Under SB304, the deadline for the advisory commission to submit its proposals to the state legislature was set for October 30, 2021, "or as soon thereafter as practicable." In a July 23 meeting, the committee said it would adopt maps on October 15, adopt evaluations on October 29, and transmit material to the legislature on October 31.[17]

    The Citizen Redistricting Committee announced a series of meetings for public input:[18]

    New Mexico Citizen Redistricting Committee meeting schedule, 2020 cycle
    Date Region
    July 2, 2021 Virtual
    July 23, 2021 Virtual
    August 2, 2021 Santa Fe
    August 5, 2021 Las Vegas
    August 7, 2021 Albuquerque
    August 9, 2021 Farmington
    August 11, 2021 Roswell
    August 12, 2021 Las Cruces
    August 14, 2021 Albuquerque
    August 15, 2021 Española

    An additionally round of meetings to consider proposed maps and receive public input was announced. The committee said it would select district plans that would be published for public input on September 16, and adopt maps to be recommended to the legislature on October 15.[18]

    New Mexico Citizen Redistricting Committee meeting schedule, 2020 cycle
    Date Region
    September 16, 2021 Virtual (Proposal of maps)
    September 28, 2021 Bernalillo/Rio Rancho
    September 29, 2021 Crownpoint
    October 1, 2021 Albuquerque
    October 2, 2021 Las Vegas
    October 4, 2021 Las Cruces
    October 5, 2021 Roswell
    October 7, 2021 Albuquerque
    October 8, 2021 Farmington
    October 15, 2021 Virtual (Adoption of recommended maps)


    2010

    See also: Redistricting in New Mexico after the 2010 census

    New Mexico received its local census data on March 15, 2011, the state grew 13.2 percent from 2000 to 2010. All of its most populous cities grew: Albuquerque grew by 21.7 percent, Las Cruces grew by 31.4 percent, Rio Rancho grew by 69.1 percent, Santa Fe grew by 9.2 percent, and Roswell grew by 6.8 percent.[19]

    At the time of redistricting, Democrats controlled the Legislature while Governor Susana Martinez was a Republican. The interim committee reviewed eight House maps and nine Senate maps before the special redistricting session of the Legislature began on September 6, 2011. On September 21, the Senate passed a map on party lines, with the House following the next day. Governor Martinez (R) vetoed the maps on October 7, and the issue was sent to the New Mexico Supreme Court where a new map was adopted on January 16, 2012.[20][21]

    Sessions

    Legislation

    The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the New Mexico House of Representatives has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the Senate to the House and legislation that has already been approved by the House and signed by the governor after its passage in the Senate. The table below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read the bill text and see its voting history. Click the headings to sort the content. Rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Click the magnifying glass in the bottom left corner to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated by BillTrack50.

    Dates of legislative sessions in New Mexico by year

    2021

    See also: 2021 New Mexico legislative session and Dates of 2021 state legislative sessions

    In 2021, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 19, 2021, and adjourn on March 20, 2021.


    2020

    See also: 2020 New Mexico legislative session and Dates of 2020 state legislative sessions

    In 2020, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 21, 2020, and adjourn on February 20, 2020.

    Effect of coronavirus pandemic

    See also: Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
    Covid vnt.png
    Coronavirus pandemic
    Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more.


    Several state legislatures had their sessions impacted as a result of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.


    2019

    See also: 2019 New Mexico legislative session and Dates of 2019 state legislative sessions

    In 2019, the legislature was in session from January 15, 2019, through March 16, 2019.

    2018

    See also: 2018 New Mexico legislative session and Dates of 2018 state legislative sessions

    In 2018, the legislature was in session from January 16, 2018, through February 15, 2018. To read about notable events and legislation from this session, click here.


    About legislative sessions in New Mexico

    The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.[32] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

    Article IV of the New Mexico Constitution establishes when the New Mexico State Legislature, of which the House is a part, is to be in session. Section 5 of Article IV states that the Legislature is to convene its annual regular session on the third Tuesday of January. In odd-numbered years, the Legislature is to be in session for no longer than sixty days. In even-numbered years, the Legislature is to be in session for no longer than thirty days. In even-numbered years, the Legislature is limited to dealing with budgetary matters, bills that deal with issues raised by special messages of the Governor of New Mexico, and bills vetoed in the previous session by the Governor.

    Section 6 of Article IV allows the Governor of New Mexico to call special sessions of the Legislature. Section 6 also allows the Legislature to meet in special session when three-fifths of each house petition the Governor with a request for a special session. Special sessions are not to exceed thirty days in length.

    Legislative roles and procedures

    Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includes veto overrides, the role of the legislature in the state budget, procedures for filling membership vacancies, and redistricting.

    Veto overrides

    Veto Override Graphic-No party.png

    See also: Veto overrides in state legislatures

    State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in New Mexico are listed below.

    How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members present in both chambers.

    Two-thirds of members present in both chambers must vote to override a veto. If all members are in attendance, this is 47 of the 70 members in the New Mexico House of Representatives and 28 of the 42 members in the New Mexico State Senate. New Mexico is one of 36 states that requires a two-thirds vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto.

    How can vetoes be overridden after the legislature has adjourned?

    Vetoes can be overridden in a special session or when the next regular session convenes, even if an election has occurred. Two-thirds of members in both chambers must agree to call for a special session.[33]

    Authority: Article IV, Section 22 of the New Mexico Constitution.

    "Every bill passed by the legislature shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the governor for approval. If he approves, he shall sign it, and deposit it with the secretary of state; otherwise, he shall return it to the house in which it originated, with his objections, which shall 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."

    Role in state budget

    See also: New Mexico state budget and finances
    New Mexico on Public Policy Logo-one line-on Ballotpedia.png
    Check out Ballotpedia articles about policy in your state on:
    Budgets • Civil liberties • Education • Elections • Energy • Environment • Healthcare • Pensions

    New Mexico operates on an annual budget cycle, with each fiscal year beginning in July. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[34]

    1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies by June 15.
    2. State agencies submit their budget requests by September 1.
    3. Agency hearings are held from September through December.
    4. The governor submits his or her budget proposal to the New Mexico State Legislature on January 5 or January 10.
    5. The legislature adopts a budget in February or March. A simple majority is required to pass a budget.


    New Mexico is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[34]

    The governor is statutorily required to submit a balanced budget. While the legislature is not required to pass a balanced budget, the budget signed by the governor must be balanced.[34]

    Committees

    See also: List of committees in New Mexico state government

    Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

    • Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
    • Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
    • Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

    Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The New Mexico House of Representatives has 14 standing committees:


    Constitutional amendments

    In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

    The methods in which the New Mexico Constitution can be amended:

    See also: Article XIX of the New Mexico Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in New Mexico
    New Mexico Constitution
    Flag of New Mexico.png
    Preamble
    Articles
    I • II • III • IV • V • VI • VII • VIII • IX • X • XI • XII • XIII • XIV • XV • XVI • XVII • XVIII • XIX • XX • XXI • XXII • XXIII • XXIV

    The New Mexico Constitution can be amended through a legislatively referred constitutional amendment or through a constitutional convention.

    • Legislatively referred constitutional amendments:
    • They can be proposed in either house of the state legislature.
    • If a majority "of all members elected to each of the two houses voting separately votes in favor" of a proposed amendment, it is put on a statewide election ballot.
    • As authorized by Amendment 4 in 1996, an independent constitutional revision commission can submit proposed amendments to the state legislature.
    • Notification that a proposed amendment will be on the ballot must be published in each county in the state and in both English and Spanish if newspapers in both languages are published in a particular county.
    • When the state legislature votes to put a proposed amendment on the ballot, it is allowed to call a special election for that purpose.
    • A simple majority vote of the statewide electorate is required to ratify an amendment.
    • There is an unusual subject-matter restriction on the right of the state legislature to propose an amendment. Amendments proposed by the legislature cannot "restrict the rights created by Section 1 or Section 3 of Article VII or Section 8 and Section 10 of Article XII "unless it be proposed by vote of three-fourths of the members elected to each house and be ratified by a vote of the people of this state in an election at which at least three-fourths of the electors voting on the amendment vote in favor of that amendment." Moreover, to amend sections 1 and 3 of Article VII, a two-thirds (66.67 percent) supermajority vote is required in each county of the state.
    • Section 1 of Article VII is titled "Qualifications of Voters; Absentee Voting; School Elections; Registration."
    • Section 3 of Article VII is titled "Religious and Racial Equality Protected; Restrictions on Amendments."
    • Section 8 of Article XII is titled "Teachers to Learn English and Spanish."
    • Section 10 of Article XII is titled "Educational Rights of Children of Spanish Descent."
    • If the question is approved by voters, a convention is called.
    • Amendments proposed by the convention must be ratified by the voters.

    Moreover, although the New Mexico Constitution does not allow for initiated constitutional amendments, it contains a provision that pre-emptively limits what such amendments could do, if the citizens of the state were ever accorded that right, saying, "If this constitution be in any way so amended as to allow laws to be enacted by direct vote of the electors the laws which may be so enacted shall be only such as might be enacted by the legislature under the provisions of this constitution."



    2021 measures:

    Below is a list of measures that were referred to the 2021 ballot by the legislature.

    See also: 2021 ballot measures

    Certified:

    The following measures were certified for the ballot.

    No measures to list



    See also

    Elections New Mexico State Government State Legislatures State Politics
    Ballotpedia Elections Badge-VOTE-no shadow-Square.jpg
    New Mexico State Flag-Close Up.jpg
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    State Courts-Tile image.png

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 This date reflects the regularly-scheduled date and does not reflect any change made as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. For more information on changes to state legislative sessions as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, click here.
    2. ↑ New Mexico Legislature, "New Mexico House Leaders," accessed August 12, 2014
    3. ↑ New Mexico Constitution, "Article IV, Section 5, accessed February 11, 2021
    4. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    5. ↑ New Mexico Legislature, "Political Composition — Legislative Sessions," accessed September 7, 2017
    6. ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "2018 Candidate Information Guide," accessed November 9, 2017
    7. ↑ Follow the Money, "New Mexico State House of Representatives 2012 Campaign Contributions," accessed May 12, 2014
    8. ↑ Follow the Money, "New Mexico State House of Representatives 2010 Campaign Contributions," accessed May 12, 2014
    9. ↑ Follow the Money, "New Mexico State House of Representatives 2008 Campaign Contributions," accessed May 12, 2014
    10. ↑ Follow the Money, "New Mexico State House of Representatives 2006 Campaign Contributions," accessed May 12, 2014
    11. ↑ Follow the Money, "New Mexico State House of Representatives 2004 Campaign Contributions," accessed May 12, 2014
    12. ↑ Follow the Money, "New Mexico State House of Representatives 2002 Campaign Contributions," accessed May 12, 2014
    13. ↑ Follow the Money, "New Mexico State House of Representatives 2000 Campaign Contributions," accessed May 12, 2014
    14. ↑ New Mexico Legislature, "New Mexico Constitution," accessed February 11, 2021 (Article IV, Section 4)
    15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 All About Redistricting, "New Mexico," accessed May 6, 2015
    16. ↑ All About Redistricting, "New Mexico," accessed April 19, 2021
    17. ↑ New Mexico Citizen Redistricting Committee, "Minutes of July 23, 2021 Meeting," accessed July 30, 2021
    18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 New Mexico Citizen Redistricting Committee, "Meetings & Transparency," accessed July 30, 2021
    19. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. Census Bureau Delivers New Mexico's 2010 Census Population Totals, Including First Look at Race and Hispanic Origin Data for Legislative Redistricting," accessed February 11, 2021
    20. ↑ The Republic, "New Mexico's redistricting costs total nearly $8M, exceeding expenses a decade ago," August 2, 2012(Archived)
    21. ↑ The Republic, "Judge adopts bipartisan redistricting plan for New Mexico Senate," January 16, 2012
    22. ↑ NY Times, "New Mexico Supreme Court Won't Restore Funds to Legislature," May 11, 2017
    23. ↑ The Albuquerque Journal, "Lawmakers keep ‘fingers crossed’ as session ends," May 30, 2017
    24. ↑ timesunion.com, "New Mexico special session ends with capital-spending deal," accessed June 9, 2015
    25. ↑ University of New Mexico, "New Mexico 2015 Legislative session opens," accessed January 21, 2014
    26. ↑ www.santafenewmexican.com/, "Issues facing the New Mexico Legislature ," accessed January 21, 2014
    27. ↑ ABQ Journal, "Legislature: New Members, Old Issues," January 13, 2013
    28. ↑ Santa Fe New Mexican, "Election-year tension and redrawn districts set stage for political dramas at the Capitol," January 15, 2012(Archived)
    29. ↑ Latin American Herald Tribune, "Undocumented New Mexicans Can Still Get Driver’s Licenses," February 19, 2012
    30. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar," accessed June 6, 2014(Archived)
    31. ↑ New Mexico Legislature, "Session Dates," accessed August 12, 2014
    32. ↑ Find Law, "Tenth Amendment - U.S. Constitution," accessed May 20, 2017
    33. ↑ Newmexicopolitics.net "New Mexico’s veto problem," June 26, 2017
    34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2015," accessed February 5, 2021
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