.png)
New Mexico
Voting Guide
Registration Deadlines and Election Dates
Voter Registration Deadline: 28th day before Election Day.
For statewide elections, same day registration is available at your county clerk's office during normal business hours and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the Saturday before Election Day, and at your voting place on Election Day. Contact your county clerk for more information and same day registration locations.
2022
Primary Election Voter Registration Deadline: May 10
Primary Election: June 7
General Election Voter Registration Deadline: October 11
General Election: November 8
Official Election Websites
More election information at:
https://www.sos.state.nm.us/voting-and-elections/voter-information-portal/
Online voter registration available at:
https://portal.sos.state.nm.us/OVR/WebPages/InstructionsStep1.aspx
Mail-in voter registration form available at:
https://portal.sos.state.nm.us/OVR/VRForms/VRFormEnglishFinal.pdf
Register at School or Home
Students have a decision about where to register to vote.
You have a right to register to vote at the address you consider the place where you live, whether that is your family's home or the place where you attend school. You should update your registration anytime this home address changes.
You may only be registered and vote in one location.
What Type of ID Do I Need to Register?
New Mexico’s online registration form requires your New Mexico driver’s license or state ID number and your full Social Security number. The paper form requires your driver’s license or state ID number or the last four digits of your Social Security number.
Voters who want to register and vote on the same day will need to bring the one of the following forms of documentation:
A New Mexico driver's license or New Mexico identification card;
Any document that contains an address in the county together with a photo identification card; or
A current valid student photo identification card from a post-secondary educational institution in New Mexico accompanied by a current student fee statement that contains the student's address in the county.
What Type of ID Do I Need to Vote?
New Mexico does not require an ID to vote, though some municipalities do require ID to vote in city elections. Contact your county clerk's office to determine whether you will need to present ID to vote in local elections.
Where Do I Vote?
Make a plan. Check your voter registration and absentee ballot status and look up your voting site and hours at:
How Can I Vote?
By Mail
Any registered New Mexico voter may vote by mail.
You may request an absentee ballot by contacting or visiting your county’ clerk's office, filling out an online application, or by mailing or hand-delivering a paper application to your county clerk’s office. The deadline for submitting an absentee ballot request for the next election can be found on the Secretary of State’s website at:
https://www.sos.state.nm.us/voting-and-elections/voter-information-portal/absentee-and-early-voting/
Voters who are blind or visually impaired may receive their ballot electronically. More information is available at:
https://www.sos.state.nm.us/voting-and-elections/voter-information-portal/voters-with-disabilities/.
Completed absentee ballots must be received by your county clerk’s office by 7 p.m. on Election Day. You may return your absentee ballot by mail, or in-person at the county clerk's office or any Election Day polling place.
Early In-person
Early voting at alternate sites begins 28 days before Election Day and ends on the Saturday before Election Day. Contact your county clerk’s office or visit NMVote.org for locations and times.
Election Day
Voting sites will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Election Day. If you are in line by the closing time, then you have the right to vote.
Common Questions/Concerns
Registering to Vote Does Not Affect Your:
Federal Financial Aid
Where you register to vote will not affect federal financial aid such as Pell Grants, Perkins or Stafford loans, or your dependency status for FAFSA.
Status as a Dependent on Your Parents’ Taxes
Being registered to vote at a different address from your parents does not prevent them from claiming you as a dependent on their taxes.
Tuition Status
Being deemed out-of-state for tuition purposes does not prevent you from choosing to register to vote in your campus community.
Will registering to vote in New Mexico affect my driver’s license or car registration?
As a new resident of New Mexico, you may be required to obtain a New Mexico driver's license and update your car's registration, regardless of whether you register to vote there. For more information, you may wish to contact the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division.
Fair Elections Center and Campus Vote Project intend the information contained herein to be used only as a general guide. This document should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed New Mexico legal professional.
Last updated March 2022