Primary election need to know

It’s election time! Early voting has started for the Tuesday, June 2, 2026, primary election.

There’s a big difference in voting this year if you are registered as declined to state. independent or unaffiliated. Thanks to a change in state law, the 2026 primary will be the first time DTS voters can vote in either the Republican or the Democratic primary.

This year’s ballot includes one of New Mexico’s two U.S. Senate seats, U.S. representative District 2, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, land commissioner, state treasurer, state auditor, public education commissioner, state court of appeals judge (position 1), and state representative (eight total in Doña Ana County). In Doña Ana County, the ballot also includes county sheriff, assessor, probate judge, district judge Division 4, magistrate judges divisions 1-7, and races for county commission districts 1 and 3.

In some races, there are multiple candidates on both the Republican and Democratic ballots; in some, there is a single candidate for each major party; and some have one or more Democrats running in the primary, but no Republicans. After the primary, independent candidates may be added to the general election ballot in some local and/or statewide races.

If you are registered to vote as a Republican or Democrat, you must vote in that party’s primary, as the last day to change major party registration has passed. If you are a member of a minor party (Green or Libertarian) and you want to vote in either the Republican or the Democratic primary, you can change your voter registration any time during early voting and on election day. If you are registered as DTS, you don’t need to change your party affiliation, just ask for either the Republican or the Democratic ballot when you vote. For more information, visit dacelections.com.

Here are important primary-election dates:

• Early voting and same-day voter registration continue through Saturday, May 30, at the Doña Ana County Government Center, 845 N. Motel Blvd.

• Expanded early voting (and same-day voter registration) begins Saturday, May 16, at these locations around the county: Anthony Public Library multipurpose room, 750 Landers Road in Anthony, New Mexico; Doña Ana Community College-Chaparral, 755 Prescott Anthony Drive in Chaparral; DACC-Sunland Park Center, 3365 McNutt Road in Sunland Park; Hatch Valley Public Schools Student Services Center, 350 Main St. in Hatch; Mesilla Town Hall, 2231 Avenida de Mesilla in Mesilla; and, in Las Cruces, CGC, Corbett Center Student Union, 1600 International Mall on the NMSU campus, DACC East Mesa campus, 2800 Sonoma Ranch Blvd., and Las Cruces City Hall, 700 N. Main St. CGC is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, May 30. The other sites are open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday through May 30. All sites are closed Monday, May 25, for Memorial Day.

• Tuesday, May 19, is the last day to apply for an absentee ballot. You can request a ballot at nmvote.org. You can take your completed ballot to the Doña Ana County Clerk’s Office on the first floor of CGC, or drop it in one of the nine secured containers at Anthony City Hall Municipal Complex, 820 Highway 478 in Anthony, New Mexico; Delores C. Wright Educational Center, 400 E. Lisa Drive in Chaparral; Hatch Valley High School, 170 E. Herrera Road in Hatch; Mesilla Town Hall, 2231 Avenida de Mesilla in Mesilla; Sunland Park City Library, 1000 McNutt Road in Sunland Park; and in Las Cruces, CGC, Corbett Center Student Union, 1600 International Mall on the NMSU campus, Las Cruces City Hall, 700 N. Main St., and Sonoma Elementary School, 4201 Northrise Drive. Absentee ballots must be received by the clerk’s office by 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 2. For more information, visit dacelections.com, click on “Voter Information” and scroll down to “Absentee voting.”

• Saturday, May 30, is the last day to vote early. CGC is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Alternate voting sites are open 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

• Tuesday, June 2, is primary election day. Vote in person 7 a.m.- 7 p.m. at 42 locations in Las Cruces, Mesilla, Anthony, Berino, Chaparral, Garfield, Village of Doña Ana, Hatch, La Mesa, La Union, Mesquite, Organ, Radium Springs, Rincon, Santa Teresa, San Miguel, Sunland Park and Vado. For locations, visit dacelections.com and click on “Voting Locations and Maps.”

To view your sample ballot, which shows the races you can vote in depending on your party registration and where you live, visit nmvote.org. You can also check your registration and register to vote at that site.

For more information, call 575-647-7428, email elections@donaana.gov and visit dacelections.com. You can also visit vote411.org/new-mexico.