Voting in New Mexico
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Voting policies are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which American citizens cast their ballots in their individual states.
This page includes the following:
- Voter registration details, including methods of registering and requirements
- Details on voting in elections, including identification requirements, poll times, and primary election type
- Absentee/mail-in voting rules[1]
- Early voting rules
- Convicted felons' voting rights
- Election administration costs report
- Election agencies list
- Election policy ballot measures list
- Election policy legislation list
Voter registration
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. Convicted felons who have not completed the terms and conditions of a felony sentence are not eligible to register to vote, and individuals who have been declared mentally incapacitated may not register to vote.[2] Either the New Mexico voter registration form or the national voter registration form may be used to register. Completed registration materials can be mailed or delivered by hand to election officials. First-time applicants must attach a valid form of identification to their registration materials. Registration can also be completed online.[3] On March 27, 2019, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed into law a bill enacting same-day voter registration, which was scheduled to go into effect in 2021. The bill also expanded automatic voter registration.[4][5]
Automatic registration
New Mexico practices automatic voter registration.
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
New Mexico enacted same-day voter registration in 2019; it was scheduled to go into effect in 2021.
Residency requirements
In New Mexico, individuals can register to vote as soon as they become residents of the state.
Verification of citizenship
New Mexico does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration.
Verifying your registration
The New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.
Voting in elections
Voter identification
- See also: Voter identification laws by state
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.[6]
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.
Background
As of April 2021, 35 states enforced (or were scheduled to begin enforcing) voter identification requirements. A total of 21 states required voters to present photo identification at the polls; the remainder accepted other forms of identification. Valid forms of identification differ by state. Commonly accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.[7][8]
Poll times
- See also: State poll opening and closing 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.[9]
Primary election type
- See also: Primary elections in New Mexico
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 closed primary process; participation in each party's primary is limited to registered party members.[10][11][12][13]
Absentee voting
- See also: Absentee voting
All voters are eligible to vote absentee in New Mexico. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.[14]
The county clerk must receive the absentee ballot application no later than 5 p.m. on Friday before the election. 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.[14]
Early voting
- See also: Early voting
New Mexico permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
As of April 2021, 38 states and the District of Columbia permitted early voting. Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on election day. States that do not permit early voting still permit some or all citizens to vote early by mail—often known as absentee voting. Some states allow no-excuse absentee voting, while others require an excuse. States that allow in-person absentee voting without an excuse are counted among early voting states. Click here for early voting laws by state.[15]
Convicted felons' voting rights
- See also: Voting rights for convicted felons
In New Mexico, individuals convicted of a felony automatically regain their voting rights upon completion of their sentence, including incarceration, and probation or parole.
Voting rights for convicted felons vary from state to state. In the majority of states, convicted felons cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[16][17][18]
Election administration costs
National Conference of State Legislatures report, 2018
On February 14, 2018, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) released a report on the costs of election administration in the states: "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections." The report's authors noted that "no one knows how much [states] spend on elections ... [because] good research on election costs is slim." Generally, local units of government (most often counties, but sometimes cities and towns) are primarily responsible for election administration costs, though states and the federal government may also contribute. The report identified the states listed in the table below as assuming financial responsibility for at least some aspects of election administration.[19]
To access the complete NCSL report, click here.
| Election administration costs assumed by state | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State pays all expenses for federal or state elections | State bears a portion of election costs | State pays for statewide special elections or statewide elections that don’t coincide with regularly scheduled elections | State pays for primary elections (statewide, presidential, or both) |
| Alaska Delaware |
Alabama Colorado Hawaii Kentucky Louisiana Rhode Island |
Arkansas Florida Iowa Michigan Missouri New Jersey North Dakota Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Tennessee Washington West Virginia |
Arizona Arkansas Idaho Kansas Michigan Minnesota Missouri South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia Washington |
| Note: If a state is not listed above, it was not included in the report. Source: National Conference of State Legislatures, "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections," February 14, 2018 | |||
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in New Mexico can contact the following state and federal agencies.
New Mexico Secretary of State: Elections Division
- 325 Don Gaspar, Suite 300
- Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501-4401
- Phone: 505-827-3600
- Email: elections@state.nm.us
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- 1335 East West Highway, Suite 4300
- Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
- Telephone: 866-747-1471
Election policy ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measures relating to election and campaign policy in New Mexico.
- New Mexico Amendment 2 (1996)
- New Mexico Amendment 3 (1996)
- New Mexico Amendment 4 (1996)
- New Mexico Candidacy Declarations in Judicial Retention Elections, Amendment 3 (2014)
- New Mexico Constitutional Amendment 2, Elections and Terms of Non-Statewide Officeholders Amendment (2020)
- New Mexico Dates for School Elections, Amendment 1 (2014)
- New Mexico Modern Election Language Amendment, Amendment 3 (2010)
- New Mexico Nominating Conventions for Candidates Referendum (1950)
- New Mexico Nominating Conventions for Candidates Referendum (1964)
- New Mexico Proposed Amendment, Absentee Voting, Removal of Voting Restrictions for Women and Indians (1964)
- New Mexico Proposed Amendment, Absentee Voting (1958)
- New Mexico Proposed Amendment, Joint Election of Governor and Lieutenant Governor (1962)
- New Mexico Proposed Amendment, Municipal Bonds, Special Elections, Nonresident Voting (1964)
- New Mexico Proposed Amendment 1, Absentee Voting (1940)
- New Mexico Proposed Amendment 11, Voter Qualification (1994)
- New Mexico Rules for County Officials in their Second Terms, Amendment 3 (1998)
- New Mexico Runoff Elections, Measure 3 (2004)
- New Mexico School Board, Amendment 1 (2008)
- New Mexico School Elections Act, Amendment 4 (2008)
Election policy legislation
The following is a list of recent election bills that have been introduced in or passed by the New Mexico state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.
Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms New Mexico voting. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
Elections in New Mexico
- New Mexico elections, 2022
- New Mexico elections, 2021
- New Mexico elections, 2020
- New Mexico elections, 2019
- New Mexico elections, 2018
- New Mexico elections, 2017
- New Mexico elections, 2016
- New Mexico elections, 2015
- New Mexico elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ We use the term "absentee/mail-in voting" to describe systems in which requests or applications are required. We use the term "all-mail voting" to denote systems where the ballots themselves are sent automatically to all voters. We use the hyphenate term for absentee voting because some states use “mail voting” (or a similar alternative) to describe what has traditionally been called "absentee voting."
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, “Voter Registration Information,” accessed October 3, 2019
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, “Voter Registration,” accessed October 3, 2019
- ↑ Office of the Governor, “Gov. Lujan Grisham enacts same-day, automated voter registration,” March 27, 2019
- ↑ The NM Political Report, “Gov. signs same-day voter registration bill,” March 27, 2019
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "Voting," accessed October 7, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Voter Identification Requirements|Voter ID Laws," June 5, 2017
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Do I need an ID to vote? A look at the laws in all 50 states," October 27, 2014
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, “Voter Bill of Rights,” accessed October 17, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ FairVote, "Primaries," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, "FAQs for Primary & General Election Candidacy," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 New Mexico Secretary of State, "Absentee and Early Voting," accessed December 16, 2013
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Laws Governing Early Voting," August 2, 2019
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State Voter Services, "Voter Registration Eligibility Requirements and FAQs," accessed October 20, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ American Civil Liberties Union, "State Criminal Re-enfranchisement Laws," accessed September 13, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections," February 14, 2018
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