Early voting for New Mexico’s primary continues through Saturday and Election Day is June 2nd. This year marks the state’s first semi-open primary election, which means independent and unaffiliated voters can now participate in primary races.
Voters will help decide which Democratic and Republican candidates advance to November’s general election for governor and lieutenant governor, Secretary of State, public lands commissioner, New Mexico state representatives, U.S. representatives, and a U.S. Senate seat.
Democrats running for governor include Deb Haaland and Sam Bregman, while Republicans in the race include former Rio Rancho Mayor Greg Hull, Doug Turner, and Duke Rodriguez. Former Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishma will be running in the general election as an independent.
Democrats in the Secretary of State race include current Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark and current Doña Ana County Clerk Amanda Lopez Askin. Ramona Goolsby, currently serving on the Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors, is the only Republican candidate.
Three Democrats are competing for the public land commissioner seat: former state Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency Jonas Moya, former political director for U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich Juan Sanchez, and state Rep. Matthew McQueen. The Republican running, Michael Perry, is running unopposed.
But this is the state’s first semi-open primary election, after Senate Bill 16 during last year’s legislative session passed, meaning that independent and unaffiliated voters can now participate in primary races.
Michael Thorning, director of structural democracy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, told KUNM’s Let’s Talk New Mexico that change could make some elections more competitive by expanding who has a voice in races that often shape representation long before the general election.
“We know that turnout overall increases, but we also know that it tends to close racial and ethnic group representation gaps, especially for Latinos and Asians, they are typically not as well represented in the primary electorate,” said Thorning.
Independent and unaffiliated voters will now ask poll workers for the party ballot they would like to cast. Early voting is underway, and May 26th is the deadline to mail in an absentee ballot ahead of the June 2nd election. Voters can return absentee ballots in person to early voting centers through Saturday or to Election Day voting locations up to 7 p.m. on June 2.
In-person registration is available at all polling locations. Find your voting information by your address at the League of Women Voters site.
This coverage is supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation KUNM listeners like you.
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