New Mexico

Election Day: 

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

Early in-person voting for the General Election runs from October 17, 2020 to October 31, 2020. These polling locations must be open for at least eight (8) hours a day and may be closed on Sundays and Mondays during the early voting period. Early voting is available in all counties at the county clerk’s office. Some counties will have additional early voting locations. Please contact your county clerk’s office for more information.

Find your polling place here.

Registration Deadlines: 

• October 6, 2020 (online or postmarked by mail)
• October 31, 2020 (in person)

How to Check Your Registration: visit the Where to Vote website or call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

Registration Eligibility: In order to be eligible to register to vote, the individual must: (A) be 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 sentencing; and (D) 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 here.

You may also call our office at 1.800.477.3632 and ask for a registration form to be mailed to you.

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 Early Absentee

For the General Election, you may cast your absentee ballot early by going to your county clerk’s office or alternate voting location/Voting Convenience Center from October 17, 2020 through October 31, 2020. You may also cast your absentee ballot via drop boxes located in many counties through November 3, 2020 or at the drop box available at any polling place on Election Day. Please contact your county clerk’s office for more information: http://www.sos.state.nm.us/Voter_Information/County_Clerk_Information.aspx.  

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.  Your county clerk’s office must receive absentee ballot request by no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, October 20, 2020 for the General Election. 
To find your county clerk’s office, please go here. You may also obtain an absentee ballot application on the New Mexico Secretary of State’s website – Application for Absent Voter Ballot.

Your county clerk must receive your completed New Mexico Absentee Ballot Application by no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 20, 2020 for the General Election. You must return the ballot to the county clerk by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day or any or any Election Day polling location. If mailing the ballot, it must be mailed by October 27, 2020. You must sign the oath on the envelope used to return the absentee ballot. 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 an oath that you have not and will not submit your absentee ballot and then be allowed to vote in-person. With the passage of SB4, if a voter mails their ballot back on Election Day then realizes it will not reach the office that same day by 7 p.m. they MAY cast a ballot at a polling place. The voter will be required to sign an affidavit signifying they did request an absentee ballot but only intend to cast one ballot.

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

Identification Requirements to Cast a Ballot

New Mexico doesn’t require photo ID at the state level but some form of ID is required.  A physical form of identification, which 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

OR

A verbal or written statement by the voter of the voter’s name, registration address and year of birth; provided, however, that the statement of the voter’s name need not contain the voter’s middle initial or suffix.

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. 

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”) 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, 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  
• 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 here. 

If you do not know which county clerk to whom you should submit your application, send it to the Secretary of State (sos.elections@state.nm.us) for routing. Please also visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s (FVAP) New Mexico page. The deadline to register to vote is 28 days before an election.

An 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.  An FPCA is also considered a request for an absentee ballot.

Receiving an Absentee Ballot

An 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 the Federal Voter Assistance Program website or the Secretary of State website.

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). 
For more information please go to the Federal Voter Assistance Program website or the Secretary of State website.

If you have been convicted of a felony in New Mexico, your voter registration will be canceled. A person convicted of a felony is 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.]

FAQ

Top Issues