New Mexico state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018

Elections in New Mexico, 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.

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2018 New Mexico State Legislature elections
General	November 6, 2018
Primary	June 5, 2018

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The Democratic primary elections for seats in the New Mexico House of Representatives were on June 5, 2018. For information about the Republican primary elections in New Mexico, click here.

The general election was on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was March 13, 2018. In the state House, all 70 seats were up for election. No Senate seats were up for election.

HIGHLIGHTS

As of November 2017, New Mexico was one of 18 states under divided government and not one of the 32 states under a state government trifecta. A state government trifecta is a term used to describe a single-party government where one political party holds the governor's office and a majority in both chambers of the state legislature. To find out more about state government trifectas, click here.

Incumbents who did not advance to the general election

Retiring incumbents

Three Democratic state House incumbents did not seek re-election.

• Bill McCamley (District 33)
• Nick Salazar (District 40)
• Stephanie Richard (District 43)

Incumbents defeated

Two Democratic state House incumbent was defeated in their primaries:

• Bealquin Bill Gomez (District 34)
• Debbie Rodella (District 41)

Competitiveness

See also: 2018 primary election competitiveness in state and federal government and New Mexico state legislative Republican primaries, 2018

There were eight open seats in 2018, which was equal to the number of open seats in 2016 and less than the 11 open seats in 2014. The 13 contested Democratic primaries was down from 24 in 2016 but up from 12 in 2014. The 4 contested Republican primaries was down from 6 in 2016 and 2014. The 70 candidates running was up down 112 in 2016 and equal to the total number of candidates that ran in 2014.

Year	Total seats	Open seats	Total candidates	Democratic primaries contested	Republican primaries contested	Total contested	Incumbents contested in primaries	Total incumbents contested in primaries
2018	70	8	123	13	4	12.1%	10	16.1%
2016	112	8	200	24	6	13.4%	9	8.7%
2014	70	11	125	12	6	12.9%	7	11.9%

Partisan control

The tables below show the partisan breakdowns of the New Mexico House of Representatives and the New Mexico State Senate as of June 2018:

New Mexico House of Representatives

Party		As of June 2018
	Democratic Party	38
	Republican Party	32
	Vacancies	0
Total		70

New Mexico State Senate

Party		As of June 2018
	Democratic Party	26
	Republican Party	16
	Vacancies	0
Total		42

Battleground races

Ballotpedia identified battleground races in the 2018 New Mexico state legislative Democratic primary elections. These primaries had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could have led to changes in the membership of the Democratic caucus or had an impact on general election races.

To determine the New Mexico state legislative Democratic primary battleground races in 2018, Ballotpedia examined races that fit one or more of the three factors listed below:

1. Identified by the media as a notable primary election.
2. One or more of the candidates received a notable endorsement.
3. The primary was known to be competitive based on past results or because it was a rematch of a primary that was competitive in the past.

House battleground races

This map shows the 2018 New Mexico House of Representatives Democratic primaries that we watched.

House District 41

Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?

Pending.

What made this a battleground race?

On January 24, 2018, Susan Herrera, the former director of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, announced that she was running against incumbent Debbie Rodella (D) in the District 41 Democratic primary. In her announcement, Herrera said, "I think we need a more progressive Democratic Party at the state Legislature.” According to the New Mexico Political Report and Daily Kos Rodella angered members of the Democratic Party's progressive wing by supporting a bill associated with payday loans and her prior opposition to bills related to automatic voter registration and same-sex marriage. She also was to the right of the Democratic Party when she voted to ban late-term abortions and received an A minus rating from the National Rifle Association.

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. New Mexico utilizes a semi-closed primary process; participation in each party's primary is limited to registered party members and unaffiliated voters.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

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 requirements

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.

Early voting

New Mexico permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website. Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

All voters are eligible to vote absentee in New Mexico. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.

The county clerk must receive the absentee ballot application no later than the 14th day before the election. A voter may request an absentee ballot by filling out and returning an application form, or by completing an online application. Completed ballots must be returned to the county clerk or voter's precinct before 7 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.

See also

• New Mexico state legislative Republican primaries, 2018
• New Mexico House of Representatives elections, 2018
• New Mexico State Legislature
• New Mexico elections, 2018