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New Mexico local trial court judicial elections, 2018
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9
- Early voting: Oct. 20 - Nov. 3
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: No
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
2019 →
← 2017
|
 Trial court elections |
Poll opening and closing times |
Judges in New Mexico are elected in either retention or partisan elections. A judge who was appointed into a vacancy must run in a partisan election in the next general election. After that, he or she must run in retention elections. In a retention election, a candidate must receive 57 percent of the vote to be retained.[1] The 57 percent requirement was set by a 1994 ballot measure.
The general election took place on November 6, 2018. The primary election for partisan races took place on June 5, 2018. The filing deadline for candidates to run in the primary was March 13, 2018. The filing deadline for judges running for retention was June 28, 2018.[2]
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of elections in America's 100 largest cities by population. This coverage extends to every office on the ballot for residents of these cities, including local trial court judges. In 2018, Ballotpedia covered the following local election in this state:
- Bernalillo County, New Mexico - County commissioner, county assessor, probate judge, and county sheriff
If the above list includes local trial court judgeships, click the link for more information about the election. Click here to learn more about how the judges in this state are selected. Ballotpedia did not cover all local trial court judicial elections in this state in 2018. Please consider donating to Ballotpedia to help us expand our coverage of these elections.
For more information about the 2018 appellate court elections in the state, click here.
Election dates
- March 13, 2018: Candidate filing deadline for primary election
- June 5, 2018: Primary election
- June 28, 2018: Candidate filing deadline for judges running for retention
- November 6, 2018: General election
Election rules
Retention election
In retention elections, judges do not compete against another candidate. Instead, voters are given a "yes" or "no" choice whether to keep the judge in office for another term. The retention elections are held on general election day. In a retention election, a candidate must receive 57 percent of the vote to be retained.[3]
Judicial selection method
- See also: Partisan election of judges
The 84 judges of the New Mexico District Courts are selected in partisan elections to six-year terms. They must compete in yes-no retention elections if they wish to serve subsequent terms.[4]
The process of chief judge selection varies by district, as does the chief judge's term length.[4]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must:[4]
- be the minimum age of 35;
- have at least six years legal practice;
- be a state resident for at least three years; and
- be a district resident.
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
Three of 33 New Mexico counties—9 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Colfax County, New Mexico | 8.55% | 2.24% | 10.73% | ||||
| Hidalgo County, New Mexico | 6.73% | 4.96% | 2.92% | ||||
| Valencia County, New Mexico | 8.60% | 2.47% | 7.72% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won New Mexico with 48.3 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 40 percent. In presidential elections between 1912 and 2016, New Mexico voted Democratic 56 percent of the time and Republican 44 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, New Mexico voted Democratic four times. The state voted Republican in 2004.[5]
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in New Mexico. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[6][7]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 45 out of 70 state House districts in New Mexico with an average margin of victory of 29.5 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 45 out of 70 state House districts in New Mexico with an average margin of victory of 26.7 points. Clinton won nine districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 25 out of 70 state House districts in New Mexico with an average margin of victory of 24.4 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 25 out of 70 state House districts in New Mexico with an average margin of victory of 27 points. Trump won two districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 20.96% | 75.79% | R+54.8 | 18.04% | 72.51% | R+54.5 | R |
| 2 | 27.47% | 69.17% | R+41.7 | 21.96% | 67.15% | R+45.2 | R |
| 3 | 22.91% | 73.48% | R+50.6 | 17.17% | 73.66% | R+56.5 | R |
| 4 | 51.61% | 45.33% | D+6.3 | 42.79% | 42.74% | D+0.1 | R |
| 5 | 70.17% | 26.83% | D+43.3 | 60.70% | 24.05% | D+36.6 | D |
| 6 | 70.21% | 27.48% | D+42.7 | 58.64% | 28.48% | D+30.2 | D |
| 7 | 50.49% | 44.11% | D+6.4 | 40.92% | 45.72% | R+4.8 | R |
| 8 | 46.36% | 48.66% | R+2.3 | 37.51% | 49.60% | R+12.1 | R |
| 9 | 71.00% | 26.44% | D+44.6 | 61.37% | 24.12% | D+37.2 | D |
| 10 | 65.21% | 30.46% | D+34.8 | 56.93% | 31.21% | D+25.7 | D |
| 11 | 74.16% | 20.74% | D+53.4 | 69.71% | 18.46% | D+51.2 | D |
| 12 | 68.74% | 26.63% | D+42.1 | 61.46% | 27.69% | D+33.8 | D |
| 13 | 67.68% | 27.95% | D+39.7 | 59.39% | 27.06% | D+32.3 | D |
| 14 | 75.95% | 20.09% | D+55.9 | 65.37% | 23.23% | D+42.1 | D |
| 15 | 49.95% | 45.35% | D+4.6 | 48.43% | 38.84% | D+9.6 | R |
| 16 | 60.23% | 35.40% | D+24.8 | 54.22% | 33.06% | D+21.2 | D |
| 17 | 62.55% | 32.61% | D+29.9 | 57.98% | 29.63% | D+28.3 | D |
| 18 | 74.99% | 17.57% | D+57.4 | 73.69% | 13.64% | D+60.1 | D |
| 19 | 71.55% | 22.91% | D+48.6 | 67.73% | 20.05% | D+47.7 | D |
| 20 | 46.26% | 48.57% | R+2.3 | 45.05% | 41.13% | D+3.9 | R |
| 21 | 61.08% | 33.19% | D+27.9 | 53.96% | 31.12% | D+22.8 | D |
| 22 | 42.30% | 51.77% | R+9.5 | 40.33% | 46.60% | R+6.3 | R |
| 23 | 50.61% | 44.70% | D+5.9 | 47.86% | 39.71% | D+8.1 | D |
| 24 | 52.10% | 42.11% | D+10 | 47.19% | 36.79% | D+10.4 | D |
| 25 | 60.90% | 33.31% | D+27.6 | 57.03% | 28.81% | D+28.2 | D |
| 26 | 62.57% | 33.00% | D+29.6 | 55.12% | 32.19% | D+22.9 | D |
| 27 | 43.63% | 51.56% | R+7.9 | 43.86% | 42.63% | D+1.2 | R |
| 28 | 43.36% | 51.02% | R+7.7 | 43.31% | 42.27% | D+1 | R |
| 29 | 48.16% | 47.12% | D+1 | 45.04% | 41.24% | D+3.8 | R |
| 30 | 50.06% | 44.08% | D+6 | 47.75% | 37.01% | D+10.7 | R |
| 31 | 38.29% | 57.90% | R+19.6 | 41.78% | 45.91% | R+4.1 | R |
| 32 | 48.95% | 47.93% | D+1 | 43.90% | 47.34% | R+3.4 | D |
| 33 | 57.44% | 38.34% | D+19.1 | 55.59% | 32.01% | D+23.6 | D |
| 34 | 67.75% | 30.86% | D+36.9 | 64.65% | 28.49% | D+36.2 | D |
| 35 | 58.06% | 38.71% | D+19.3 | 54.23% | 34.26% | D+20 | D |
| 36 | 53.29% | 43.51% | D+9.8 | 49.35% | 39.28% | D+10.1 | D |
| 37 | 50.09% | 46.98% | D+3.1 | 49.32% | 39.69% | D+9.6 | D |
| 38 | 45.97% | 50.34% | R+4.4 | 39.87% | 49.90% | R+10 | R |
| 39 | 53.53% | 43.60% | D+9.9 | 48.95% | 41.86% | D+7.1 | D |
| 40 | 69.65% | 27.03% | D+42.6 | 60.30% | 28.99% | D+31.3 | D |
| 41 | 74.26% | 22.15% | D+52.1 | 64.48% | 23.77% | D+40.7 | D |
| 42 | 77.86% | 18.20% | D+59.7 | 69.70% | 18.34% | D+51.4 | D |
| 43 | 51.55% | 42.52% | D+9 | 51.63% | 31.90% | D+19.7 | D |
| 44 | 42.34% | 53.33% | R+11 | 38.87% | 48.14% | R+9.3 | R |
| 45 | 75.50% | 20.49% | D+55 | 71.68% | 19.09% | D+52.6 | D |
| 46 | 76.11% | 19.64% | D+56.5 | 72.91% | 17.80% | D+55.1 | D |
| 47 | 75.23% | 21.12% | D+54.1 | 75.51% | 16.95% | D+58.6 | D |
| 48 | 79.43% | 16.14% | D+63.3 | 76.07% | 15.07% | D+61 | D |
| 49 | 48.75% | 46.04% | D+2.7 | 39.56% | 48.03% | R+8.5 | R |
| 50 | 54.56% | 40.49% | D+14.1 | 49.33% | 40.67% | D+8.7 | D |
| 51 | 34.24% | 62.18% | R+27.9 | 29.61% | 60.13% | R+30.5 | R |
| 52 | 62.23% | 35.17% | D+27.1 | 62.07% | 29.79% | D+32.3 | D |
| 53 | 48.82% | 48.52% | D+0.3 | 48.39% | 41.93% | D+6.5 | R |
| 54 | 32.19% | 64.92% | R+32.7 | 25.69% | 66.62% | R+40.9 | R |
| 55 | 29.64% | 67.48% | R+37.8 | 24.35% | 67.91% | R+43.6 | R |
| 56 | 34.58% | 61.37% | R+26.8 | 29.21% | 61.10% | R+31.9 | R |
| 57 | 45.25% | 50.34% | R+5.1 | 39.99% | 46.81% | R+6.8 | R |
| 58 | 43.98% | 52.91% | R+8.9 | 36.58% | 53.06% | R+16.5 | R |
| 59 | 29.23% | 67.78% | R+38.5 | 23.93% | 67.65% | R+43.7 | R |
| 60 | 42.37% | 52.23% | R+9.9 | 38.93% | 47.35% | R+8.4 | R |
| 61 | 32.56% | 65.02% | R+32.5 | 29.95% | 62.63% | R+32.7 | R |
| 62 | 19.59% | 78.35% | R+58.8 | 18.39% | 74.53% | R+56.1 | R |
| 63 | 49.61% | 47.24% | D+2.4 | 36.71% | 51.26% | R+14.6 | D |
| 64 | 24.47% | 72.92% | R+48.5 | 20.65% | 70.74% | R+50.1 | R |
| 65 | 79.83% | 16.71% | D+63.1 | 67.22% | 16.91% | D+50.3 | D |
| 66 | 24.60% | 72.24% | R+47.6 | 21.08% | 69.94% | R+48.9 | R |
| 67 | 37.15% | 59.71% | R+22.6 | 27.94% | 62.43% | R+34.5 | R |
| 68 | 47.01% | 48.56% | R+1.5 | 43.56% | 42.91% | D+0.7 | R |
| 69 | 68.52% | 28.07% | D+40.4 | 56.03% | 29.07% | D+27 | D |
| 70 | 69.54% | 26.69% | D+42.9 | 60.23% | 28.91% | D+31.3 | D |
| Total | 52.99% | 42.84% | D+10.1 | 48.26% | 40.04% | D+8.2 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
See also
| Local courts | New Mexico | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Judicial Selection, "Judicial Selection in the States: New Mexico," accessed January 21, 2014
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "Primary & General Election Candidacy FAQs," accessed September 27, 2017
- ↑ New Mexico Compilation Commission, "New Mexico Statutes, Article VI, Section 33," accessed April 25, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: New Mexico," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ 270towin.com, "New Mexico," accessed August 8, 2017
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
Federal courts:
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of New Mexico • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of New Mexico
State courts:
New Mexico Supreme Court • New Mexico Court of Appeals • New Mexico District Courts • New Mexico Magistrate Court • New Mexico Municipal Courts • New Mexico Probate Courts • New Mexico Problem-Solving Courts • New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration Court • Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court
State resources:
Courts in New Mexico • New Mexico judicial elections • Judicial selection in New Mexico
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