In addition to candidates running for federal, statewide, legislative and local offices, the 2020 General Election ballot contains two proposed constitutional amendments and three statewide bond issues.
Constitutional amendments
One proposed amendment would change the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission from a five-member elected body to a three-member appointed body. If the amendment passes, beginning Jan. 1, 2023, the commission would drop from five to three members who would be appointed by the governor with the consent of the state Senate. The governor would make appointments based on recommendations from the state Public Regulation Nominating Committee. Appointments would be for six-year terms, with no member serving more than two consecutive terms. No more than two members of the commission could be of the same political party. The first three members of the commission would be appointed to two-, four- and six-year terms so terms could be staggered going forward.
The other proposed constitutional amendment would allow the state legislature to adjust non-statewide elections and terms of office to balance the number of offices that are on the so-called presidential and gubernatorial ballots. New Mexico gubernatorial elections are in 2022 and every four years after that. Presidential elections after this year are in 2024 and every four years after that. The amendment was proposed after the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled that certain provisions of state House Bill 407 were unconstitutional. That bill, passed in 2019, divided non-statewide elections between presidential and gubernatorial ballots, but district attorneys whose terms would have been lengthened by two years under the law filed suit against the state.
Bond issues
One bond issue would allocate $33.3 million for 96 senior-citizen facility improvement, construction and equipment-acquisition projects statewide, including these in Doña Ana County: $249,000 to purchase vehicles for the Anthony Community Center; $100,000 for renovations to the Doña Ana Community Center; $930,000 for the East Mesa/Sage Cafe Senior Center; $974,000 for Munson Senior Center; $45,000 for renovations to the Placitas Community Center; and $116,000 for renovations to the Radium Springs Community Center.
Another bond issue would allocate $9.7 million for library acquisitions at public libraries, public school libraries, academic libraries and tribal libraries statewide, including $3.5 million to purchase and install broadband Internet equipment and infrastructure at public and tribal libraries statewide; $3 million for supplemental library resource acquisitions, including books, equipment, electronic and other resources for academic libraries statewide; $3 million for equipment and acquisitions at public school libraries statewide; $3 million for supplemental library resource acquisitions other resources for academic libraries statewide; and $3 million for equipment and resources at public school libraries statewide.
A third bond issue would allocate $156.3 million for public higher education institutions, special public schools and tribal schools, including about $30 million for New Mexico State University. NMSU projects would include, in Las Cruces: $18 million for science and engineering facilities for agricultural research; $3 million for information technology infrastructure upgrades and replacement and a new infrastructure and information technology building; $1.86 million for a creative campus media building at Doña Ana Community College; in Alamogordo: $900,000 to renovate and repair ductwork and boiler feed lines in classroom buildings; and $900,000 to renovate and furnish the physical plant building; in Grants: $1.3 million to upgrade Martinez Hall; in Carlsbad, $1.5 million for campus-wide infrastructure, parking lot and site improvements, including roofs and accessibility compliance; and statewide, $3 million to renovate and improve NMSU agricultural science centers.
