by Danielle Prokop, SourceNM
New Mexico voters head to the polls Tuesday to elect Democratic and Republican candidates in primaries up and down the ballot, including contested primaries in both parties’ gubernatorial races.
Tuesday also marks the state’s first semi-open primary, in which independent voters can participate in the major parties’ primaries without changing their registrations first.
New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat running in a two-way race to be her party’s nominee for lieutenant governor, told Source NM she anticipates at least 5% higher voter turnout for the June 2 primary election, noting that other states with independent voter participation in primaries have seen similar upticks in turnout.
New Mexico’s early voter turnout of nearly 182,000 voters, or about 13% of the electorate, was higher than both the 2024 and 2022 early primary elections, prompting Oliver to say she’s “really encouraged at the level of participation.”
Read up on all the contested statewide and legislative races in Source NM’s Primary Election Voter Guide.
Of those early voters, 60% were Democrats, just under 31% were Republicans, and slightly more than 10% were independents. Fewer than 5% of the state’s registered independents made use of early voting. Of those independents, nearly 77% voted in the Democratic primary.
The June 2 primary is Toulouse Oliver’s penultimate election, as she is term-limited from holding the office again. Toulouse Oliver is campaigning for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor against state Sen. Harold Pope of Albuquerque. The winner in that race will face one of three Republicans — Aubrey Blair Dunn, David Gallegos and Manny Lardizabal — running in that party’s contest.
Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark and Doña Ana County Clerk Amanda López Askin are vying for the Democratic nomination for Secretary of State’s Office. The winner of the primary will face Republican candidate Ramona Goolsby in the Nov. 3 general election.
Toulouse Oliver warned that people planning to vote on Tuesday should expect some lines, and recommended same-day registrants come in the morning or afternoon, to avoid the wait.
“A lot of folks wait until election day, realizing that it’s their last chance to vote,” she said. “The reality is it’s going to be busier for anybody who shows up to vote on election days, especially when polls open, over lunch or at the end of the day.”
Election results will be posted live on the secretary of state’s website. Toulouse Oliver said particularly close races may require several days to calculate final preliminary results.
“The most important thing to remember is election night results are unofficial,” Toulouse Oliver said. “The count by the end of the night is the significant majority of all the votes, but there’s a lot to do after the fact.”
Election reminders
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. statewide.
Information for voter registration, nearby polling locations and requirements for same-day registration can be found on the New Mexico Secretary of State’s website.