No Party Affiliation? In NM, You can still vote this TUES (6/2) in the SEMI-OPEN PRIMARY!
Did you know New Mexico primaries are open for any registered voter to participate?
Did you know New Mexico primaries are open for any registered voter to participate? You don't have to be affiliated with an official political party to show your support this TUESDAY, JUNE 2nd (or through early voting) for a party candidate the midterm election on Nov 3, 2026.
You can see our interviews with some of the candidates we were able to catch HERE!
TRANSCRIPT
This Tuesday is Election Day in New Mexico. Both major parties are going to choose their candidates ahead of the November midterms, which as we all know are super important because of...
well...
everything that's going on.
But this year is gonna be different from any other primary.
Why? Because for the first time ever, New Mexico is having semi-open primaries, meaning you can vote even if you're not a registered Democrat or Republican, which is a huge deal!
So let's talk a little bit about why it can make all of the difference and what it means for you, person out there who thinks that they can't make a difference.
So, if you voted in New Mexico before, you know that we used to have a closed primary system. That means that you can only vote if you're a registered voter with any of the major parties.
You know, these guys.
If you weren't with either of the two big ones, then you weren't able to vote in the primaries, which is how most states operate.
But in open primaries like Wisconsin and Texas, anyone can vote for anyone.
You've got Republicans voting for Democrats, Democrats voting for Republicans!
But last year, New Mexico passed a law that allowed for a semi-open primary system where independent voters can now participate. So let's say that for like one reason or another, neither party kind of represents you, and so you've registered yourself as an independent or a declined to state voter, but there's a candidate running in the primaries that you'd like to support. You can show up at a voting center and request a ballot and cast your vote, even if you're not a registered party member.
This could have unprecedented results in any of the statewide races, depending on who can successfully turn them out.
Currently, independents make up 26% of the voting population, almost on par with registered Republicans in the state.
In a Source New Mexico analysis, Pat Lohman crunched the numbers and found that both parties are slowly losing support in favor of unaffiliated voter status, Especially in Los Alamos and Doña Ana counties, which have seen over 30% decline to state voters.
So if you identify as a declined to state voter but still want a say in our tenuous democracy, and if you still need to register to vote, you can do so online or in person on Election Day.
Here at 505OMATIC, we've been trying our darndest to catch an interview with as many primary candidates as possible. So if you're still not sure how you wanna make your voice heard, be sure to check out our recent interviews with most of the candidates so make sure you make a plan and get out there before June 2nd to make your voice heard.
Also, we may see you on election night to do some coverage of the results as they're coming in on our YouTube or Instagram account. I don't really know.
I think we're still figuring this whole thing out.
Anyway,
GO VOTE!
