Political Parties

NMSA 1978 ch. 1, art. 7

in effect

NMSA 1978, § 1-7-1 Political parties; conditions for use of ballot

1-7-1. Political parties; conditions for use of ballot All nominations of candidates for public office in New Mexico made by political parties shall be made pursuant to the Election Code [Chapter 1 NMSA 1978]. No political party shall be permitted to have the names of its candidates printed on any election ballot unless and until it has qualified as provided in the Election Code. 1953 Comp., § 3-7-1, enacted by Laws 1969, ch. 240, § 144.

NMSA 1978, § 1-7-2 Qualification; removal; requalification

1-7-2. Qualification; removal; requalification A. To qualify as a political party in New Mexico, each political party through its governing body shall adopt rules providing for the organization and government of that party and shall file the rules with the secretary of state. Uniform rules shall be adopted throughout the state by the county organizations of that party, where a county organization exists, and shall be filed with the county clerks. At the same time the rules are filed with the secretary of state, the governing body of the political party shall also file with the secretary of state a petition containing the hand-printed names, signatures, addresses of registration and counties of residence of at least one-half of one percent of the total votes cast for the office of governor at the preceding general election who declare by their signatures on the petition that they are voters of New Mexico and that they desire the party to be a qualified political party in New Mexico. Blank petition forms shall be available at any time from the secretary of state. B. Each county political party organization may adopt supplementary rules insofar as they do not conflict with the uniform state rules or do not abridge the lawful political rights of any person. Such supplementary rules shall be filed with the county clerk and the secretary of state in the same manner as other rules are filed. C. A qualified political party shall cease to be qualified for the purposes of the Election Code [Chapter 1 NMSA 1978] if two successive general elections are held without at least one of the party's candidates on the ballot or if the total votes cast for the party's candidates for governor or president of the United States, provided that the party has a candidate seeking election to either of these offices, in a general election do not equal at least one-half of one percent of the total votes cast for the office of governor or president of the United States, as applicable. No later than March 15 of an odd-numbered year, the secretary of state shall send notice of nonqualification to the state chair of any political party that fails to remain qualified. The notice shall be delivered by registered mail to the last known address of the state chair of the political party, and a copy shall be kept in the secretary of state's file of parties qualified in New Mexico. D. The secretary of state shall then notify all county clerks of the removal and nonqualification of the political party and shall post the notice on the web site maintained by the secretary of state. The secretary of state shall within forty-five days notify by mail all voters registered as members of such party of the removal and nonqualification of the party. E. To requalify, the party shall again comply with the provisions of the Election Code dealing with filing requirements for political parties. 1953 Comp., § 3-7-2, enacted by Laws 1969, ch. 240, § 145; 1975, ch. 255, § 97; 1979, ch. 378, § 4; 1981, ch. 141, § 1; 1989, ch. 392, § 16; 1990, ch. 39, § 1; 1995, ch. 124, § 8; 2011, ch. 137, § 49.

NMSA 1978, § 1-7-3 Rules and regulations; contents

1-7-3. Rules and regulations; contents The secretary of state and the county clerk shall not accept the rules and regulations of any political party for filing unless such rules and regulations provide: A. a method for nominating candidates for the general election; B. a method for calling and conducting conventions; C. a method for selection of delegates to conventions; D. a method for selection of state central committee members, a state chairman and other party officers, and all other members of governing bodies of the party; E. a method for filling vacancies in party offices, committees and other governing bodies; F. the powers and duties of party officers, committees and other governing bodies; G. for the structure of the state and county party organizations; H. that meetings to elect any party officers, including delegates, shall be held at a public place during the week specified by the state party chairman; I. that notice of such meetings shall be published by the officers of the county party organization in a newspaper of general circulation at least fourteen days prior to the meeting and the notice shall specify the time, date and place for holding the meeting; and J. a method for amending the party rules and regulations. 1953 Comp., § 3-7-3, enacted by Laws 1969, ch. 240, § 146.

NMSA 1978, § 1-7-4 Rules and regulations; filing; fee

1-7-4. Rules and regulations; filing; fee A. Each political party shall file its rules and regulations, along with petitions containing the required number of signatures, if the signature provision is applicable to the party, within thirty days after its organization and no later than twenty-three days after the primary election before any general election in which it is authorized to participate. B. Within seven days after the filing of the political party's rules and qualifying petitions, the secretary of state shall notify the political party whether the rules and qualifying petitions are in proper order and that the party has qualified. The secretary of state shall notify all county clerks in the state of the qualification of that political party and post notice of qualification on the secretary of state's web site. C. Political parties filing rules and regulations with the county clerk shall pay the standard filing fee. 1953 Comp., § 3-7-4, enacted by Laws 1969, ch. 240, § 147; 1977, ch. 222, § 17; 1983, ch. 232, § 8; 1995, ch. 124, § 9; 2014, ch. 40, § 1; 2014, ch. 81, § 1.

NMSA 1978, § 1-7-5 Rules and regulations; amendment

1-7-5. Rules and regulations; amendment Political party rules and regulations filed as required by the Election Code [Chapter 1 NMSA 1978] are subject to amendment only in the manner provided for in such rules and regulations. No amendments shall be made less than one hundred twenty days prior to any general election, nor shall any amendment be effective until thirty days after being filed. Amendments shall be filed in the same manner as original party rules and regulations are filed. 1953 Comp., § 3-7-5, enacted by Laws 1969, ch. 240, § 148; 1975, ch. 255, § 98.

NMSA 1978, § 1-7-6 Party name and emblem

1-7-6. Party name and emblem A. The chairman of the state central committee of a qualified political party shall file with the secretary of state a certificate setting forth the name selected for the political party and showing a representation of the emblem by which the party is to be represented. B. The certified party name and emblem shall thereafter be used to designate the ticket of that political party on all ballots. C. The secretary of state shall certify the party name and emblem of the party to each county clerk. D. The state convention of a political party may change the party name and party emblem by adopting in their stead another name and emblem. The new party name and party emblem shall be filed in the same manner as was the original party name and party emblem, provided the certificate shall be signed by the presiding officer and the secretary of the state convention adopting the new party name and party emblem. E. No political party shall adopt any party name or party emblem which is the same as, similar to, or which conceivably can be confused with or mistaken for the party name or party emblem of any other qualified political party in New Mexico. 1953 Comp., § 3-7-6, enacted by Laws 1969, ch. 240, § 149.

NMSA 1978, § 1-7-7 Major political party; minor political party

1-7-7. Major political party; minor political party As used in the Election Code [Chapter 1 NMSA 1978]: A. "major political party" means any qualified political party, any of whose candidates received as many as five percent of the total number of votes cast at the last preceding general election for the office of governor or president of the United States, as the case may be, and whose membership totals not less than one-third of one percent of the statewide registered voter file on the day of the governor's primary election proclamation; and B. "minor political party" means any qualified political party that is not qualified as a major political party pursuant to Subsection A of this section. 1953 Comp., § 3-1-8, enacted by Laws 1969, ch. 240, § 8; 1975, ch. 255, § 3; 1983, ch. 258, § 1; 1995, ch. 124, § 1; 1978 Comp., § 1-1-9, recompiled and amended as § 1-7-7 by Laws 2011, ch. 137, § 48.

Source: New Mexico Compilation Commission (nmonesource.com)URL: https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa-unanno/en/item/18502/index.doFetched: 10/20/2026