Open Primaries Bill Passes New Mexico Senate, Moves to House

Several ballot boxes with different colored ballots sticking out.
Photo by Kamran Abdullayev on Unsplash. Unsplash+ license obtained by author.
Created: 21 Feb, 2025
1 min read

SANTA FE, N.M. - With a short legislative window to work with, the updates on a bill to open New Mexico's taxpayer-funded primary elections to more than 330,000 independent voters are happening fast -- and so far, it is good news for reformers.

Senate Bill 16, a semi-open partisan primary bill that gives independent voters the option to pick a major party's primary ballot in future elections. sailed through the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday and was approved by the Senate on Wednesday.

ALSO READ: Is New Mexico Finally Ready to Open Its Primary Elections?

The vote was 27-11, which matches a floor vote on a similar bill in 2023. The bill will now be considered by lawmakers in the state House.

“We want independent voters to know we will keep fighting through the legislature to the best of our abilities to ensure this constitutional right to vote in all primaries is established," said Sila Avcil, executive director of New Mexico Open Elections.

"They can contact their NM House Representatives and let them know they’d appreciate support for SB16.“

The fate of SB16 will likely be known soon. The New Mexico Legislature is only in session for 60 days in 2025, which is considered its long session compared to 30 days in even-numbered years.

New Mexico is the only state left that has a part-time, volunteer legislature. Lawmakers don't receive a salary, they don't have a staff, and they have little time to pass the state's priorities.

In other words, if SB16 doesn't pass the House, it will be another 2 years before open primaries can be considered again. Stay tuned for more updates on this story.

IVP Donate

 

Special thanks to the nonpartisan group Open Primaries for the updated information on this story.

In this article

Related articles

American institutions.
Chuck Todd: When It Comes to Public Mistrust in Institutions, The Parties Just Don't Get It
Last week, the national election reform group Open Primaries held a Zoom conversation with former Me...
26 Mar, 2025
-
3 min read
New Mexico State Capitol Building
A Bill to Open Taxpayer-Funded Primaries to Over 330,000 Independents Sent to New Mexico Governor's Desk
SANTA FE, N.M. - It has been a long road for reformers in New Mexico, but the legislature has passed...
23 Mar, 2025
-
3 min read
an i voted sticker peeled up.
Louisiana Voters Are Not Happy About the State's Move to Closed Primaries
Closed primaries are coming to Louisiana in 2026, but a new poll shows that state voters across the ...
19 Mar, 2025
-
3 min read

Latest articles

A judge's gavel.
Super PAC Spending Tops $49 Million in Most Expensive State Judicial Election in History
According to Buying Time 2025 election spending data as of March 26, 2025, more than $81.4 million has been spent on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race between Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford and Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Brad Schimel, making it the most expensive state judicial election in US history. ...
27 Mar, 2025
-
4 min read
Man holding his head sitting at a table.
Landmark Legislation Introduced to Address Mental Health Crisis Among Correctional Officers
On the second anniversary of Federal Correctional Officer Blake Schwarz’s death by suicide, an Iowa congresswoman has reintroduced a significant bill aimed at combating the ongoing mental health crisis among correctional officers....
26 Mar, 2025
-
2 min read
American institutions.
Chuck Todd: When It Comes to Public Mistrust in Institutions, The Parties Just Don't Get It
Last week, the national election reform group Open Primaries held a Zoom conversation with former Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd to discuss voters' growing mistrust in American institutions. It was part of the group's ongoing Primary Buzz Discussion Series. ...
26 Mar, 2025
-
3 min read