New Mexico Bond Question B, Public Libraries (2018)
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9
- Early voting: Oct. 20 - Nov. 3
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: No
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
| New Mexico Bond Question B | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 6, 2018 | |
| Topic Bond issues | |
| Status | |
| Type Bond issue | Origin State Legislature |
New Mexico Bond Question B, the Public Libraries Bond, was on the ballot in New Mexico as a legislatively referred bond question on November 6, 2018.[1] The measure was approved.
| A "yes" vote supported authorizing the sale and issuance of $12.876 million in bonds for academic, public school, tribal, and public libraries. |
| A "no" vote opposed authorizing the sale and issuance of $12.876 million in bonds for academic, public school, tribal, and public libraries. |
Election results
|
New Mexico Bond Question B |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
|
|
430,788 | 68.78% | ||
| No | 195,523 | 31.22% | ||
Overview
Bond Question B issued no more than $12.876 million in general obligation bonds for academic, public school, tribal, and public libraries, including for print, non-print, and electronic resources, collaborative resources, broadband internet equipment, and furniture. A general obligation bond is a public debt and is paid for through state funds, specifically funds from a statewide property tax in New Mexico. The bond measure was to be distributed as follows:[1]
| New Mexico Question B (2018) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Recipient | Amount | ||
| Non-tribal public libraries statewide for equipment, furniture, fixtures, and library resource acquisitions, broadband internet equipment, and infrastructure | $4,000,000 | ||
| Tribal public libraries statewide for equipment, furniture, fixtures, and library resource acquisitions, broadband internet equipment, and infrastructure | $750,000 | ||
| Academic libraries statewide for library resource acquisitions, collaborative library resources, and information technology | $4,000,000 | ||
| Public school libraries statewide statewide for equipment and library resource acquisitions | $4,000,000 | ||
What was the history of bond measures in New Mexico?
Voters of New Mexico cast ballots on 21 bond issues, totaling $1.04 billion in value, between January 1, 2006, and January 1, 2018. All but one bond issue question—a $155.57 million bond for higher education—was approved. As of June 30, 2017, the state debt from general obligation bonds was $300.18 million and the state debt from general obligation bonds per state resident was $143.76. Both the general obligation bond debt and per resident bond debt in 2017 were lower than amounts (in current dollars) from the prior decade.
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title was as follows:[1]
| “ |
Bond Question B The 2018 Capital Projects General Obligation Bond Act authorizes the issuance and sale of library acquisition bonds. Shall the state be authorized to issue general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed twelve million eight hundred seventy-six thousand dollars ($12,876,000) to make capital expenditures for academic, public school, tribal and public library resource acquisitions and provide for a general property tax imposition and levy for the payment of principal of, interest on and expenses incurred in connection with the issuance of the bonds and the collection of the tax as permitted by law?[2] |
” |
Readability score
- See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2018
| Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title and summary for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The state legislature wrote the ballot language for this measure.
In 2018, for the 167 statewide measures on the ballot, the average ballot title or question was written at a level appropriate for those with between 19 and 20 years of U.S. formal education (graduate school-level of education), according to the FKGL formula. Read Ballotpedia's entire 2018 ballot language readability report here. |
Campaign finance
| Total campaign contributions: | |
| Support: | $0.00 |
| Opposition: | $0.00 |
There were no ballot measure committees registered in support of the measure or in opposition to the measure.[3]
Background
Bond issues on the ballot in New Mexico
- See also: Bond issues on the ballot
Voters of New Mexico cast ballots on 21 bond issues, totaling $1.04 billion in value, from January 1, 2006, through January 1, 2018. All but one bond issue, a $155.57 million bond in 2010 to provide capital expenditures for higher education and special schools, was approved. This means that voters in New Mexico approved 95 percent of bond issues on the ballot between 2006 and 2017.
The following table contains information on the 21 bond issues that appeared on the ballot in New Mexico between January 1, 2006, through January 1, 2018:
| Year | Measure | Amount | Primary purpose | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Question A | $15,958,000 | Senior citizen facilities | |
| 2006 | Question B | $118,360,000 | Higher education | |
| 2006 | Question C | $9,090,000 | Public libraries | |
| 2008 | Question A | $14,725,000 | Senior citizen facilities | |
| 2008 | Question B | $11,019,000 | Public libraries | |
| 2008 | Question C | $57,925,000 | Health facilities | |
| 2008 | Question D | $140,133,000 | Higher education | |
| 2010 | Question A | $7,790,320 | Senior citizen facilities | |
| 2010 | Question B | $7,082,110 | Public libraries | |
| 2010 | Question C | $5,100,000 | K-12 education | |
| 2010 | Question D | $155,567,824 | Higher education | |
| 2012 | Question A | $10,335,000 | Senior citizen facilities | |
| 2012 | Question B | $9,830,000 | Public libraries | |
| 2012 | Question C | $120,000,000 | Higher education | |
| 2014 | Question A | $17,000,000 | Senior citizen facilities | |
| 2014 | Question B | $11,000,000 | Public libraries | |
| 2014 | Question C | $141,000,000 | Higher education | |
| 2016 | Question A | $15,440,000 | Senior citizen facilities | |
| 2016 | Question B | $10,167,000 | Public libraries | |
| 2016 | Question C | $142,356,000 | Higher education | |
| 2016 | Question D | $18,196,000 | Public safety facilities |
General obligation bond debt
The New Mexico state treasurer provides an overview of the state’s debt resulting from general obligation bonds, which include all voter-approved bonds, each year on June 30.[4] A general obligation bond is a public debt and is paid for through state funds, specifically funds from a statewide property tax in New Mexico.
According to the state treasurer's overview on June 30, 2017, New Mexico had $300.18 million in debt from general obligation bonds.[5] The June 2017 debt from general obligation bonds was lower than the June 2016 debt, which was $379.53 million.[6] The graph below provides an illustration of state debt from general obligation bonds between June 30, 1998, and June 30, 2017:
Using population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, Ballotpedia calculated the per person amount of general obligation bond debt in New Mexico by year.[7] On June 30, 2017, the general obligation bond debt per New Mexican resident was $143.76. On June 30, 2016, the per person debt was $182.38. Between 1998 and 2017, the per person debt peaked in 2008, when the per person debt was $227.14. The graph below provides an illustration of state debt from general obligation bonds per New Mexican resident between June 30, 1998, and June 30, 2017:
Path to the ballot
- See also: Legislatively-referred state statute
In New Mexico, both chambers of the New Mexico State Legislature need to approve a bond issue by a simple majority during one legislative session to refer the bond measure to the ballot for voter consideration.
The bond measure was introduced into the state legislature as Senate Bill 94 (SB 94) during the 2018 legislative session. On February 12, 2018, the New Mexico Senate approved the bond measure 38 to 0 with four members excused from voting. On February 13, 2018, the New Mexico House of Representatives approved SB 94 in a vote of 67 to 0 with three members excused. On March 7, 2018, Gov. Susana Martinez (R) signed SB 94, placing the bond measure on the ballot.[8]
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
How to cast a vote
- See also: Voting in New Mexico
Poll times
In New Mexico, all polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mountain Time on Election Day. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[9]
Registration requirements
- Check your voter registration status here.
To register to vote in New Mexico, each applicant must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of New Mexico, and at least 18 years old by the time of the next election. People convicted of a felony are eligible to vote after their prison time is completed, even if they are still on probation, parole, or another form of supervised release. Individuals who have been declared mentally incapacitated may not register to vote.[10]
Potential New Mexico voters who were not registered automatically may use the New Mexico voter registration form or national voter registration form to register. Completed registration materials may be mailed or delivered by hand to election officials. First-time applicants by mail must attach a valid form of identification to their registration materials. Registration can also be completed online.[10]
Automatic registration
New Mexico allows automatic voter registration. Eligible voters are automatically registered to vote when they interact with a department of motor vehicles unless they opt out.[11][12]
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
New Mexico has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Same-day registration
New Mexico allows same-day voter registration.[13][14]
Residency requirements
In New Mexico, individuals can register to vote as soon as they become residents of the state.[15]
Verification of citizenship
New Mexico does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote.[16]
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[17] As of January 2025, six states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, and New Hampshire — had passed laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration. However, only two of those states' laws were in effect, in Arizona and New Hampshire. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allowed noncitizens to vote in some local elections as of November 2024. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration
The New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.
Voter ID requirements
New Mexico does not require voters to present identification while voting, in most cases. However, if an individual registered to vote for the first time by mail and did not provide verification of his or her identity then, the voter will have to show identification.[18]
Those voters can present the following forms of identification:
- Current and valid photo identification
- 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 voter’s name and current address
Some municipalities require identification when voting in local elections. Click here for more information.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 New Mexico State Legislature, "Senate Bill 94," accessed February 13, 2018
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance Information System," accessed February 13, 2018
- ↑ New Mexico State Treasurer, "State Treasurer Financial Statements," accessed March 12, 2018
- ↑ New Mexico State Treasurer, "Financial Statements – FY 2017," June 30, 2017
- ↑ New Mexico State Treasurer, "Financial Statements – FY 2016," June 30, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Population," accessed March 12, 2018
- ↑ New Mexico Legislature, "SB 94 Overview," accessed February 13, 2018
- ↑ New Mexico Compilation Commission, "New Mexico Statutes - Chapter 1, Article 12.1", accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 New Mexico Secretary of State, “Voter Registration Information,” accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ New Mexico Compilation Commission, "New Mexico Statutes - Chapter 1, Article 1-4-5.2", accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ Office of the Governor, "Gov. Lujan Grisham enacts same-day, automated voter registration," March 27, 2019
- ↑ New Mexico Compilation Commission, "New Mexico Statutes - Chapter 1, Article 1-4-5.7", accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ The NM Political Report, “Gov. signs same-day voter registration bill,” March 27, 2019
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "Voter Registration Eligibility Requirements and FAQs," accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ The State of New Mexico, "Voter Registration Form," accessed November 1, 2024
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "Voting," accessed August 22, 2024
 |
State of New Mexico Santa Fe (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |