New Mexico 2022 ballot measures
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Six statewide ballot measures were certified to appear on the ballot in New Mexico on November 8, 2022. All six were approved.
- an amendment to allocate 1.25% of the five-year average of year-end market values of the money in the Land Grant Permanent Fund (LGPF) to early childhood education services and the public school permanent fund
- an amendment to provide that a judge appointed to fill a vacancy be up for election at the first general election one year after the appointment
- an amendment to require state funds for infrastructure that provide household services to be approved by a majority vote in each chamber of the legislature.
On the ballot
| Type | Title | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bond Question 1 | Issue $24.47 million in bonds for senior citizen facility improvements |
|
427,438 (66%) |
216,993 (34%) |
|
| Bond Question 2 | Issue $19.27 million in bonds for public libraries |
|
401,866 (63%) |
239,007 (37%) |
|
| Bond Question 3 | Issue $215.99 million in bonds for public higher education institutions, special public schools, and tribal schools |
|
392,064 (61%) |
247,779 (39%) |
|
| Constitutional Amendment 1 | Allocate 1.25% of the five-year average of year-end market values of the money in the Land Grant Permanent Fund to early childhood education and the public school permanent fund |
|
472,826 (70%) |
199,347 (30%) |
|
| Constitutional Amendment 2 | Authorize the Legislature to provide funds for infrastructure for residential services, such as internet, electric, gas, water, and wastewater |
|
425,609 (65%) |
227,846 (35%) |
|
| Constitutional Amendment 3 | Provide that an appointed judge be up for election at the first general election one year after appointment |
|
440,945 (69%) |
200,018 (31%) |
Referral of 2022 ballot measures
The following table illustrates the vote requirements for the legislative referrals certified for the ballot, the votes that the referrals received, and how Democrats and Republicans voted on the referrals in each legislative chamber:
| New Mexico Constitutional Amendment 3: Appointed Judge Elections Amendment | Democrats | Republicans | |||
| Senate: | Required: 22 | Yes votes: 33 (78.57%) | No votes: 1 (2.38%) | Yes: 22; No: 1 | Yes: 11; No: 0 |
| House: | Required: 36 | Yes votes: 58 (82.86%) | No votes: 0 (0.0%) | Yes: 35; No: 0 | Yes: 23; No: 0 |
| New Mexico Bond Question 2: Public Libraries Bond Issue | Democrats | Republicans | |||
| Senate: | Required: 19 | Yes votes: 37 (92.50%) | No votes: 0 (0.00%) | Yes: 23; No: 0 | Yes: 14; No: 0 |
| House: | Required: 35 | Yes votes: 66 (94.28%) | No votes: 2 (2.86%) | Yes: 43; No: 0 | Yes: 22; No: 2 |
| New Mexico Constitutional Amendment 1: Funding for Early Childhood Programs Amendment | Democrats | Republicans | |||
| Senate: | Required: 22 | Yes votes: 26 (61.9%) | No votes: 16 (38.1%) | Yes: 26; No: 1 | Yes: 0; No: 15 |
| House: | Required: 36 | Yes votes: 44 (62.86%) | No votes: 23 (32.85%) | Yes: 42; No: 2 | Yes: 2; No: 21 |
| New Mexico Constitutional Amendment 2: Authorizing Funds for Residential Services Infrastructure Amendment | Democrats | Republicans | |||
| Senate: | Required: | Yes votes: 25 (59.52%) | No votes: 14 (33.33%) | Yes: 25; No: 0 | Yes: 0; No: 14 |
| House: | Required: 33 | Yes votes: 43 (65.15%) | No votes: 23 (34.85%) | Yes: 43; No: 0 | Yes: 0; No: 23 |
| New Mexico Bond Question 1: Senior Citizens Facilities Bond Issue | Democrats | Republicans | |||
| Senate: | Required: 19 | Yes votes: 37 (92.50%) | No votes: 0 (0.00%) | Yes: 23; No: 0 | Yes: 14; No: 0 |
| House: | Required: 35 | Yes votes: 66 (94.28%) | No votes: 2 (2.86%) | Yes: 43; No: 0 | Yes: 22; No: 2 |
| New Mexico Bond Question 3: Public Education Bond Issue | Democrats | Republicans | |||
| Senate: | Required: 19 | Yes votes: 37 (92.50%) | No votes: 0 (0.00%) | Yes: 23; No: 0 | Yes: 14; No: 0 |
| House: | Required: 35 | Yes votes: 66 (94.28%) | No votes: 2 (2.86%) | Yes: 43; No: 0 | Yes: 22; No: 2 |
Getting measures on the ballot
Citizens
In New Mexico, citizens have the power to initiate veto referendums, which seek to repeal legislation, but not initiatives, which seek to enact legislation. Electors approved the power to initiate veto referendums in the state's constitution on November 5, 1911, which went into effect when New Mexico became a state on January 6, 1912.
Legislature
The New Mexico State Legislature can refer statewide ballot measures, in the form of constitutional amendments and bond issues, to the ballot.
New Mexico requires a simple majority vote in each legislative chamber during one legislative session to refer a constitutional amendment to the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 36 votes in the New Mexico House of Representatives and 22 votes in the New Mexico Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
Bond issues require a simple majority vote in each legislative chamber during one legislative session and the governor's signature to appear on the ballot. Bills proposing bond issues require the governor's signature for the bond issues to go on the ballot. The governor can use a partial veto to remove projects from bond legislation. In New Mexico, general obligation bonds require voter approval.
Historical facts
In New Mexico, a total of 102 ballot measures appeared on statewide ballots between 1985 and 2020. Eighty-nine ballot measures were approved, and 13 ballot measures were defeated.
| New Mexico statewide ballot measures, 1985-2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number | Annual average | Annual minimum | Annual maximum | Approved | Defeated | ||
| # | % | # | % | ||||
Ballot initiative certification rates
The following table shows the rate of certification for ballot initiatives in New Mexico between 2010 and 2020:
| New Mexico statewide ballot initiatives filed and certified, 2010-2020 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Ballot initiatives filed | Certified | |
| # | % | ||
| Averages | |||
Not on the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LRCA | Majority Legislative Vote for Funding of Household Services Infrastructure Amendment | State and local government budgets, spending and finance | Would have required a majority vote in each chamber of the New Mexico State Legislature to authorize public funds to be used for infrastructure that provides household services, including internet, electric, natural gas, water, wastewater or other services provided by law | 
|
| LRCA | Increased Veteran Property Tax Exemption Amendment | Veterans | Would have increased the property tax exemption for veterans and their widow or widower from $4,000 to $10,000 |
|
| LRCA | Creation of Public Officer Salary Commission Amendment | Salaries of government officials | Would have created the Public Officer Salary Commission to establish and limit salaries for certain public officers |
|
| LRCA | Changes to Legislative Sessions and Removal of Subject Restrictions During Even-Years Amendment | State legislature measures | Would have increased even-year regular sessions from 30 to 45 days and removed the subject restrictions for bills during even-year regular sessions |
|
State profile
| Demographic data for New Mexico | ||
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 2,080,328 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 121,298 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 73.2% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 2.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.4% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 9.1% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 3.3% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 47.4% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 84.2% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 26.3% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $44,963 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 24.7% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in New Mexico. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in New Mexico
New Mexico voted for the Democratic candidate in six out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, three are located in New Mexico, accounting for 1.46 percent of the total pivot counties.[1]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. New Mexico had three Retained Pivot Counties, 1.66 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More New Mexico coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in New Mexico
- United States congressional delegations from New Mexico
- Public policy in New Mexico
- Endorsers in New Mexico
- New Mexico fact checks
- More...
See also
- 2022 ballot measures
- List of New Mexico ballot measures
- Laws governing the initiative process in New Mexico
- New Mexico Legislature
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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