Understand the Amendments & Bonds on your Ballot
The 7 Questions at the end of the Ballot
It is tempting to mark the races you know and leave the rest blank. Please don't. The offices and questions further down decide who oversees schools, who interprets our laws and how your tax dollars are spent. Far fewer people research them, which means a prepared voter carries more weight there than anywhere else.
The Four Amendments: You Decide
Constitutional Amendment # 1
Governor's vetoes
What it does.
Today, a bill that reaches the governor in the final days of a session dies if the governor simply never signs it. No explanation is required. This is called a pocket veto. Amendment 1 would end it. The governor would have 20 days to sign a bill or veto it with a written explanation. A bill the governor takes no action on would become law.
The case for:
- It brings transparency to the governor's desk. New Mexicans would know why a bill was stopped.
- Most bills pass in the final days of a session, which is exactly when a governor can let them die in silence. Governors of both parties have done so, 21 times in 2023 and 56 times in 2017.
- It restores balance between the governor and the Legislature.
The case against:
- Supporters of the current system say lawmakers can already force an explanation by sending bills to the governor earlier.
- A bill could become law by default, without the governor's review, if time runs out.
- The amendment does not define what counts as an adequate explanation, which could lead to lawsuits.
How lawmakers voted: House 60 to 0, Senate 38 to 0.
Is it good for New Mexico? You decide.
Constitutional Amendment # 2
School elections
What it does.
Our constitution requires school elections to be held apart from regular partisan elections. Amendment 2 would remove that rule, so school districts could put bond and tax questions on the November ballot. Districts could still hold a separate election if they chose.
The case for:
- Districts would save $125,000 to $250,000 each time they avoid a special election.
- Far more people vote in November, so more parents and taxpayers would weigh in.
- It would reduce the influence that organized interest groups have in low-turnout elections.
The case against:
- Ballots would get longer, and school questions could be lost beneath higher-profile races.
- It could make school elections more political.
- Voters who follow school issues most closely would have less say.
How lawmakers voted: Senate 38 to 0, House 50 to 9.
Is it good for New Mexico? You decide.
Constitutional Amendment # 3
University regents
What it does.
Regents are the boards that govern New Mexico's public universities. Today the governor chooses them and the Senate confirms them. Amendment 3 would create a nominating committee for each school, and the governor would have to choose from that committee's list. Student regents would come from a list provided by elected student government. No one who changed political parties in the past year could be appointed.
The case for:
- Regents would be vetted for experience in overseeing a university.
- It would limit a governor's ability to appoint political allies.
The case against:
- Nominating committees are not elected and do not answer to voters.
- It changes the balance of power and blurs who is responsible for an appointment.
How lawmakers voted: House 67 to 0, Senate 34 to 7.
Is it good for New Mexico? You decide.
Constitutional Amendment # 4
Salaries for legislators
What it does.
New Mexico is the only state that pays its legislators no salary. They receive a daily payment of more than $200 when working, mileage, and a legislative pension. Amendment 4 would add a salary equal to the state's median household income, about $68,000 a year, beginning in 2029. Pay would rise or fall with that figure. For 112 lawmakers, salaries would cost about $7.6 million a year, before payroll taxes and benefits.
The case for:
- People who are not wealthy or retired could afford to serve.
- Lawmakers could give more time to the job and rely less on lobbyists.
- Pay would be tied to what New Mexico families earn, not set by lawmakers themselves.
The case against:
- The salary would be well above the national average of about $44,000 for state legislators.
- A paid position gives sitting lawmakers an advantage over challengers.
- The amendment does not say what happens to the daily payments, benefits and pension lawmakers already receive.
Is it good for New Mexico? You decide.
Bonds
What Are They For?
- Bond 1: $21.6 million for senior centers
- Bond 2: $19.3 million for libraries
- Bond 3: $352 million for buildings at colleges, special schools and tribal schools
What you need to know before you vote
Every dollar is repaid, with interest, through a statewide property tax on your home. The state has not told voters what that will cost each household. The rate will be set after the election.
These are worthy causes. But New Mexico is not short on money. It is short on discipline.
Families who are already stretched should not be asked to carry more debt on their property tax bills.
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