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Santa Fe voters will fill two Santa Fe Board of County Commissioners seats; choose between the former and current county clerk; and replace the seat held by retiring state Sen. Nancy Rodriguez, D-NM, according to documents filed March 12—the state’s official candidate filing day for the June 4 primary election. Most of the Santa Fe County races feature only Democratic candidates, which means the primary election will likely decide the races before the Nov. 5 general election absent a minor party or write-in candidate challenge.
Early voting for the primary began May 7.
What is a primary election?
New Mexico holds a closed partisan primary, which means only voters who are registered with a political party are eligible to vote in that party’s primary. Those who are not registered can use same-day registration to switch to a major party and vote in the respective election, following changes to state law implemented in 2022.
Which county commission seats are on the ballot?
The county is divided into five districts, with one county commissioner representing each. As Commissioners Anna Hansen and Anna Hamilton term out in Districts 2 and 4, three Democrats in each district are running to fill their seats.
District 2:
District 4:
District 5 Commissioner Hank Hughes will also run uncontested for re-election to a second term.
Which races am I voting in?
Voters can determine which races they will vote in by viewing their sample ballots on NMVote.org
The Santa Fe County Commission Districts are depicted in the map below.
Courtesy Santa Fe County
What else is on the ballot?
Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark seeks a second term against her challenger and predecessor Geraldine Salazar.
Two Democrats vie for the magistrate judge spot. Magistrate Judge Morgan Wood seeks re-election against Melissa Mascareñas. Wood was appointed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in July 2023 to replace former Magistrate Judge Dev Khalsa, but under law, Wood must be elected to remain in the seat.
In another court-related race, First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, who represents Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Los Alamos counties, seeks re-election against her predecessor Marco Serna. Prior to his newest bid for district attorney, he ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2020.
Additionally, several state Senate and House seats form part of the ballot, most notably that of Sen. Nancy Rodriguez, who announced at the end of the 2024 legislative session that she would not seek re-election. Three Democrats will compete for the seat.
District 24:
Reps. Linda Serrato, Andrea Romero, Reena Szczepanski, Tara Lujan and Matthew McQueen also seek re-election in their respective seats, along with Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth. Two Republican hopefuls vie for McQueen’s seat in House District 50: Edgewood Mayor Kenneth Donald Brennan and Wendy Ann Lossing, and the winner will face McQueen in the general election. The remaining races are uncontested.
How can I register to vote?
You can register to vote or verify your registration is up-to-date by visiting nmvote.org.
Same-day registration is available at every polling location. Read more about that here.
When, where and how can I vote?
Early voting at the Santa Fe County Clerk’s Office began May 7 and will continue Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, with an additional opportunity from 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday, June 1.
Additional early voting locations will be available beginning Saturday, May 18, and every subsequent Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm until June 1. Voters can also cast ballots every Tuesday through Friday between 11 am and 7 pm during this period. You can find a full list of early voting locations, along with Election Day polling locations, here.
The option to request an absentee ballot is also available until May 21. To request one, go to the New Mexico Secretary of State Voter Services website. All ballots must be returned to either the County Clerk’s Office or any election day polling location before 7 pm on Election Day. A full list of drop box sites can be found here.
The Santa Fe County Clerk’s Office allows voters to track their absentee ballots through an SMS-based system. It works for mailed ballots, but does not track through the clerk’s receiving and qualification process. Sign up here.
How much do candidates know about the community they wish to represent or the position they are seeking?
Every election season, SFR pop quizzes candidates on their knowledge of the job and the surrounding community. Click below to see how they did in each race.
Board of County Commissioners District 2
Board of County Commissioners District 4
First Judicial District Attorney
Can’t get enough election information?
The League of Women Voters of New Mexico launched an online voter guide May 2. The guide features photos of each candidate and responses to questions about issues and the candidate’s qualifications, among other information.
