New Mexico

Election Day: 

7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mountain Time. 

Early voting is available in all counties at the county clerk’s office. Some counties will have additional expanded early voting locations. Please contact your county clerk’s office for more information:  https://www.sos.state.nm.us/voting-and-elections/voting-faqs/early-voting-in-person/

How to Find Your Polling Place: https://voterportal.servis.sos.state.nm.us/WhereToVoteAddress.aspx

Registration Deadlines

• For registration deadlines, see How to Register below.

How to Check Your Registration: Voters can determine whether they are registered to vote at the following link: Am I Registered?.

You are eligible to vote in New Mexico if you:

• Are a U.S citizen
• Are a resident of New Mexico
• Are at least 18 years old by Election Day

You are NOT eligible to vote in New Mexico if:

• You have been legally declared “mentally incompetent” by a court
• You are currently serving a sentence including incarceration, parole, probation, or extended supervision for a felony conviction

You may preregister to vote in New Mexico

• if you will be 18 by Election Day

How to register 

• New Mexico State General Election
  • Register By: Tue Oct 11, 2022
  • Post received by Fri Oct 14, 2022
  • Same Day Registration & Voting ends Tue Nov 8, 2022 7:00PM MST
  • Election Day Registration

How to Check Your Registration: https://voterportal.servis.sos.state.nm.us/WhereToVote.aspx or call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

Registration Eligibility: In order to be eligible to register to vote, the individual must be: (A) a resident of New Mexico; (B) a citizen of the United States; (C) not a convicted felon, or a felon who has completed all of the terms and conditions of parole or supervised probation, or have had the conviction overturned on appeal; (D) not an individual who has been denied the right to vote by a court of law due to reason of mental incapacity and at least 18 years old at the time of the next election.

How to Register: 

Individuals may obtain registration forms at certain government offices, including the Secretary of State’s Office, Motor Vehicle Division offices, and many other public assistance offices.  

You may register online at the following web address: https://portal.sos.state.nm.us/OVR/WebPages/InstructionsStep1.aspx.

Voter registration forms are also available at the Secretary of State’s office in Santa Fe, all County Clerk Office’s, Motor Vehicle Division offices, and many other public assistance offices. You can also call our office at 505-827-3600 or 1-800-477-3632 and ask for a registration form to be mailed to you or download a copy from our website.  The form can be accessed here: https://portal.sos.state.nm.us/OVR/VRForms/VRFormEnglishFinal.pdf

Identification Required for Registration: 

If an applicant is registering for the first time and the registration application is submitted by mail, the applicant must submit a copy of one of the following forms of identification: (A) a current and valid photo identification or (B) 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 name and current address of the applicant. If the applicant does not include a copy of the form of identification with the registration application, they will need to present a permitted form of identification at the polling location.

If an applicant is registering online, they will need to provide his/her social security number, driver’s license number or state identification number, and date of birth.

If You Want to Vote Absentee, requests may be made:

• In-Person
• By Mail
• By Fax
• Online

Absentee Ballots may be returned:

• In-Person
• By Mail

New Mexico State General Election

Ballot Request:

• Thu Nov 3, 2022 5:00PM MDT
• Online by Thu Nov 3, 2022 11:59PM MDT

Ballot Return:

• Tue Nov 8, 2022 7:00PM MST

Early Voting:

• Early Voting from Tue Oct 11, 2022 to Sat Nov 5, 2022

If You Want to Vote Early Absentee

You may cast your absentee ballot by going to your county clerk’s office or an early voting location prior to Election Day. No excuse is required to vote with an absentee ballot. Please contact your county clerk’s office for more information: https://www.sos.state.nm.us/voting-and-elections/voter-information-portal/county-clerk-information/

If You Want to Vote Absentee

Any registered voter may request a mail-in absentee ballot. No special circumstances are necessary. The New Mexico absentee ballot application is available at your county clerk’s office. You may request an application by mail, online, by telephone, or in person. To find your county clerk’s office, please go to: https://www.sos.state.nm.us/voting-and-elections/voter-information-portal/county-clerk-information/.  You may also obtain an absentee ballot application on the New Mexico Secretary of State’s website (Application for Absent Voter Ballot, https://portal.sos.state.nm.us/OVR/WebPages/AbsenteeApplication.aspx).  

You may return the ballot by hand delivery or by mail. You may also have an immediate family member or your caregiver deliver your ballot by hand delivery or by mail to the county clerk, provided that you subscribed the outer envelope of the absentee ballot.  An unrelated third party may not deliver another voter’s absentee ballot on that voter’s behalf. 

If you have not completed and mailed your absentee ballot, you may vote in person but must execute an affidavit stating that you did not and will not vote the mailed ballot that was issued. (Section 1-6-16 (A) NMSA 1978) 

NOTE: New Mexico has procedures in place to ensure only ONE ballot is counted.

Voter Registration

If you are registering to vote for the first time by mail, you will need to provide a copy of a valid ID. Acceptable forms of ID include:

• Valid Tribal ID
• Current and Valid Photo ID
• Government Issued Document that shows your current name and address
• Valid Student ID
• Utility Bill, Bank Statement, Government Check, or Paycheck that Shows your current name and address

You can alternatively show one of these documents when you vote to complete your registration. If you want to start your registration AND vote on the same day, you will need one of the following: a New Mexico drivers license, an id card from the motor vehicle division of the tax and revenue department, a document with your current address together with a photo id, or a current valid student id from a New Mexico post-secondary educational institution together with a free statement that has your current address.

Voting In-Person

Physical id is only required for first time voters who registered by mail and didn’t include id. You can show id from the above list. Some municipalities, such as the City of Rio Rancho, may require id for city elections (not state or federal elections). Contact your County Clerk’s Office for details.

Identification Requirements to Cast a Ballot

New Mexico doesn’t require photo ID at the state level, but some form of ID is required to register to vote.  If a form of ID is not provided with the mailed in registration application, the person will be required to present it when voting.  The physical form of identification may be:

1. an original or copy of a current and valid photo identification with or without an address, which address is not required to match the voter’s certificate of registration; or
2. an original or copy of a 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 name and address of the person, the address of which is not required to match the voter’s certificate of registration. 

Voters who registered in New Mexico for the first time, submitted their registration by mail, and didn’t include a copy of their ID when they registered need to submit or bring a copy of ID with the form. Identification can include (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 have moved within your state, you must fill out a new voter registration form and submit it to your county clerk’s office. Voters should call their respective county clerk’s office and request guidance – https://www.sos.state.nm.us/voting-and-elections/voter-information-portal/county-clerk-information/. This should be done under the deadlines above.  If the person has moved and not submitted a registration change by the Saturday before election day, the Secretary of State’s Election Handbook allows a voter to register or update an existing certificate of registration immediately before voting but shall provide: (1) a New Mexico driver’s license or New Mexico identification card issued through the motor vehicle division of the taxation and revenue department; (2) any document that contains an address in the county together with a photo identification card; or (3) 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. If an early voting site or polling place does not have real-time access to the statewide electronic voter file, a voter desiring to update an existing certificate of registration or to register to vote shall be issued a provisional ballot. The Election Handbook of the State of New Mexico can be accessed here: https://www.sos.state.nm.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/NM-Election-Handbook-SOS.pdf

Voting Military

Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form (“FPCA”). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• Complete Social Security Number

Voting Overseas

U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• Complete Social Security Number

The New Mexico Secretary of State website has detailed pages about Military and Overseas Voters.  See https://www.sos.state.nm.us/voting-and-elections/voter-information-portal/military-and-overseas-voting/

Military and other eligible overseas citizens may use the standard procedure for absentee voting by mail, Additional options are provided under New Mexico’s Uniform Military and Overseas Voter Act (“UOCAVA”) which covers U.S. citizens who are active members of the U.S. Armed Forces and merchant marine, commissioned corps of the Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, along with their eligible family members, emergency response providers, and other U.S. citizens who reside outside the United States.  

Registering and Requesting an Absentee Ballot

Voters covered under UOCAVA may register to vote using one of the following methods: 

• Online Voter Registration  (must have a NM issued driver’s license or state id card)
• Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) 
• New Mexico voter registration form 
• The declaration accompanying a federal write-in ballot with an army post office, fleet post office, diplomatic post office, or other overseas mailing address and mail it to the county clerk’s office where you last resided in New Mexico.

You may submit your application via mail or email to your county clerk’s office. To find your county clerk’s office, visit: https://www.sos.state.nm.us/voting-and-elections/voter-information-portal/county-clerk-information/ 

If you do not know which county clerk to whom you should submit your application, send it to the Secretary of State ([email protected]) for routing. Please also visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s (FVAP) New Mexico page.

A UOCAVA voter may request an absentee ballot by mail, email or facsimile. New Mexico’s absentee ballot application is available at your county clerk’s office. You can also obtain an absentee ballot application on the New Mexico Secretary of State website (Application for Absent Voter Ballot, https://portal.sos.state.nm.us/OVR/WebPages/AbsenteeApplication.aspx?type=RA). An FPCA is also considered a request for an absentee ballot.

Receiving an Absentee Ballot

A UOCAVA voter may request an absentee ballot by mail, email or facsimile and may return the absentee ballot by mail, email or facsimile to their local county clerk’s office.  For more information please go to: http://www.fvap.gov/ or https://portal.sos.state.nm.us/OVR/WebPages/MilitaryDoc.aspx.

Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot

The Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) is an alternative back-up ballot that can be used by UOCAVA voters whose ballots are late. You can use the FWAB whether you are located inside or outside the United States (including APO and FPO addresses), provided that you are away from your voting residence for service-related activities. You can use the FWAB if you have not yet received your ballot and are concerned about receiving and returning your ballot to the county clerk’s office by the Election Day deadline (provided that you have already requested a state absentee ballot and are registered to vote).  If you send in a FWAB and receive your state’s ballot later, you should fill out and return your state ballot as well – the election office will only count one ballot. The FWAB form can be accessed here: https://www.fvap.gov/uploads/FVAP/Forms/FWABwithOMBFinal.pdf

If you have been convicted of a felony in New Mexico, your voter registration will be canceled. A person convicted of a felony becomes eligible to register to vote when that person: (1) has been unconditionally discharged from a correctional facility or detention center; (2) has completed all conditions of parole or supervised probation; or (3) has had the conviction overturned on appeal. To determine if you are qualified to have your voting rights restored, you should contact the Department of Corrections, Division of Parole and Probation at (505) 827-8830 or a comparable agency in the state in which you were convicted.