Voting & Elections Toolkits

Deadline

• Voter registration closes 28 days prior to an election. (Section 1-4-8, NMSA 1978).
• Same-Day Voter Registration: If you wish to register to vote or update your existing registration you can do so only at your County Clerk’s office until the Saturday before the Election.  (Section 1-4-5.7 NMSA 1978).
• Registration applications may be submitted by hand or mail to the appropriate county clerks through the Friday following the registration deadline, provided the date and/or postmark is before the deadline (28 days prior to the election). (Section 1-4-8 (F), NMSA 1978).
• If you register to vote after registration has closed, the county clerk will still accept your voter registration application but it will not be processed until the thirty-five (35) days after the election.

Online registration

If you have a current or expired New Mexico state I.D. or driver’s license, you can register or update your registration online with Online Voter Registration System.

Mail-in registration     

A voter may request the New Mexico Form by mail, telephone, or in person. The New Mexico Form is on card stock, is a permanent record and is not available online. It may not be duplicated.

In New Mexico, registration forms are distributed throughout county clerks offices. The forms are also available at the Secretary of State’s office in Santa Fe, Motor Vehicle Division offices, and many other public assistance offices. You can also call the Secretary of State office at 1.800.477.3632 and ask for a registration form to be mailed to you.

Click here to download a Voter Registration Form from the Secretary of State website.

You may also register with a Third-Party Registration Agent.

First-Time Registrants: If you are registering for the first time in New Mexico, and you submit the registration form by mail, then you must submit with the form a copy of

(1) a current and valid photo identification; or

(2) a 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 your name and current address.

If you do not submit one of these forms of identification with your mailed-in, first time registration, then you will be required to present one of the forms of identification when voting in person or absentee.

Political affiliation

• You are not required to choose a political party.
• You can choose to select a political party affiliation if you wish, or you can decide to not be affiliated with any political party. The choice is yours to make and does not impact the validity of your registration form.
• Any applicant may choose to check the “No Party” box on the application; however, New Mexico has a closed primary, so only those registered in a major political party may participate in the primary election. The major political parties in New Mexico are:
  • Democratic Party
  • Republican Party
  • Libertarian Party
• Voters who are affiliated with all other political parties or voters who have no political party affiliation may not vote in primary elections in New Mexico. However, all voters regardless of political affiliation are invited to participate in all other elections.

Updating registration      

If you have a current or expired New Mexico state I.D. or driver’s license, you can register or update your registration online with our Online Voter Registration System.

Cancelling registration

Download Voter Cancellation Request form

Puede usar este sitio web para:

• Inscribirse para votar en los elecciones del federal, estado, condado y de la ciudad en Nuevo México.
• Actualice su registro si su nombre o domicilio han cambiado. También puede actualizar su registro si desea cambiar su partido político

El formulario: Registrase Para Votar

El formulario: Registrase Para Votar

Para registrarse como un nuevo votante o actualizar su registro en línea, su información personal debe coincidir con la información que está en el archivo con la División del Automóvil de Nuevo México (MVD).

Estas son las cosas que deben coincidir:

• Su número de seguro social,
• Su número de licencia de conducir o identificación del estado, y
• Su fecha de nacimiento.

Si usted no tiene una licencia de conducir o tarjeta de identificación del estado de la MVD, o prefiere utilizar un formulario de papel para inscribirse para votar, por favor llene el Formulario de Inscripción de Votante y enviarlo a su Oficina local de Escribano del Condado. Usted encontrará la información de contacto para los 33 oficinas de Escribanos de Condados aquí.

ID Requirements for Voting

First-Time Voters

A physical form of identification is only required for first-time New Mexico voters who registered by mail and did not include identification with their voter registration application form.

 You must submit with the form a copy of::

(1) a current and valid photo identification; or

(2) a 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 your name and current address.

If you do not submit one of these forms of identification with your mailed-in, first time registration, then you would be required to present one of the forms of identification when voting in person or absentee.

All Other Voters

You do not have to present a photo ID to vote in a state election. You will be asked to provide a verbal or written statement of identification including your name, year of birth, and registered address.

Where to get an ID

Department of Motor Vehicles

Documents Required for a REAL ID Identification Card

To obtain a REAL ID identification card, you will need to bring the following documents to any MVD Field Office:

•    One (1) proof of identification number, and
•    One (1) proof of identity, and
•    Two (2) proofs of New Mexico residency.

To obtain a non-compliant Standard ID Card, you will need to bring the following documents to any MVD Field Office:
•    One (1) proof of identity and identify number, and
•    Two (2) proofs of New Mexico residency.

Please note, if you cannot provide proof of lawful status:
•    you may only apply for the non-compliant Standard Identification card

Absentee voting

Polling places and hours*

• Use My Registration Information to locate your polling place.
• or Polling Location Lookup by Address.

You may also vote early in-person, instead of voting by mail.  You may go to your county clerk’s office beginning the 28th day before the election and vote.  (Section 1-6-5, NMSA 1978).

• Expanded early voting is available in many counties beginning on the third Saturday before the election.  Look up early voting locations here or call your county clerk for locations and dates and hours of operation.
• Early voting ends the Saturday before the election.

Rides to the polls

Many organizations offer free rides to polling places. Some of these include:

• Lyft free or discounted rides in some underserved communities
• Political parties sometimes arrange rides for voters. Contact the local office:
  • Republican Party: newmexico.gop
  • Democratic Party: nmdemocrats.org
  • Libertarian Party of New Mexico:www.lpnm.us
  • Green Party of New Mexico: greenpartyofnm.org
  • Better for America Party of New Mexico
  • Constitution Party of New Mexico: www.constitutionpartynm.com

Santa Fe and Albuquerque and other city bus systems may offer free transportation on election day.

Help for voters with disabilities

• You may request assistance in voting at the polls if you are blind, physically disabled, unable to read or write, or a member of a language minority (Section 1-12-12, NMSA 1978).
• Any person of your choice may assist you, except your employer, an agent of the employer, an officer or agent of your union, or a candidate whose name is on the ballot (Section 1-12-15, NMSA 1978).
• If you become ill after the period for absentee balloting and are unable to go to the polls, you may request, in writing, that an alternative ballot be made available to you.  The written request must be signed by the voter and a health care provider under penalty of perjury (Section 1-6-16.2, NMSA 1978).
• More information for voters with disabilities can be found here.

More resources

• Disability Rights New Mexico

Ballots

New Mexico uses paper ballots that are scanned on an optical scan tabulating system. This system is used for early voting, absentee voting and Election Day at each polling location. New Mexico’s voting equipment is uniform state-wide: Dominion Voting Systems Imagecast Evolution and Imagecast Precinct with ballot marking device (ADA Compliant).

Where to get more info on candidates

2022 Local Election Contest/Candidate List not available at this time.

Referenda

Sample ballots are available at My Registration Information

Local Election Act Information

1. Regular Local Election: the biennial local election at which local governing body members are elected pursuant to the provisions of the LEA held every November of the odd-numbers years
2. Municipal Officer’s Election: the local governing body and any elective executive and judicial officers of a municipality held every March of even-numbered years.

In addition, all Special Local Elections in New Mexico will be conducted pursuant to the provisions of the Special Election Act.

Who are the candidates, and what else is on the ballot?

• 2022 Local Election Contest/Candidate List not available at this time.

• Sample ballots are available at My Registration Information

Concurso de elecciones locales de 2022/Lista de candidatos no disponible en este momento.

Important Dates

Please Note: The online absentee portal for the 2022 General Election will be coming soon. Requests for absentee ballots for the general election can currently be made using the paper application.

• October 11: Voter registration (by mail or online) closes.
• October 11: First day that absentee ballots can be mailed to voters (who have submitted an absentee application), and first day of Early Voting (at the county clerk’s office).
• October 22: Expanded Early Voting begins at alternate voting locations.
• November 3: Last day to request an absentee ballot.
• November 5: Last day of early voting.
• November 8: General election

For a list of Special elections, click here

Who conducts elections?

• The New Mexico Secretary of State is the Commissioner of Elections and oversees statewide and local elections.
  • the Secretary oversees the entire election process, which includes maintaining a computerized listing of the state’s registered voters, testing and evaluating voting machines and certifying precinct boundary maps.
• Town Clerks prepare ballots and administer balloting for each municipality

Voter Bill of Rights

 Este  Día de Elección,  Infórmese de sus Derechos Como Votante

Where to go with complaints about candidates or how elections are conducted

The New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office is charged with investigating complaints related to elections and ethics under New Mexico law.  Statutory authority to investigate is limited to the following portions of state and federal law:

• Election Code and Campaign Practices (Chapter 1 NMSA);
• Local Election Act (Chapter 1, Article 22 NMSA);
• Lobbyist Regulation Act (Chapter 2, Article 11 NMSA);
• Governmental Conduct Act (Chapter 10, Article 16 NMSA);
• Financial Disclosure Act (Chapter 10, Article 16A NMSA); and
• Public Law 107-252, Help America Vote Act of 2002 (“HAVA”).

If you believe your complaint falls under the authority of our office, please submit your complaint, in writing, on the Complaint Form. 

2018 Candidate Campaign Finance Reporting Guide

Click here to download the Candidate Campaign Finance Reporting Guide

The Candidate Campaign Finance Guidelines were published by the Office of the Secretary of State to act as a comprehensive guide to aid candidates in complying with campaign finance disclosure and reporting requirements as outlined in the Campaign Reporting Act and the Campaign Finance Rule, NMAC 1.10.13.  The guide also offers instructions for using the electronic Campaign Finance Information System (CFIS).

The Office of the Secretary of State will also schedule a training webinar to review the guidelines, provide a demonstration of CFIS, and provide an opportunity to ask questions prior to each report deadline.

How to contact your elected officials:

Roster of Elected Officials