Voting & Elections

What is a write-in candidate?

The biggest difference between a write-in candidate and other candidates is that a write-in candidate’s name does not appear on a ballot. In New Mexico, write-in candidates are required to file for candidacy and be qualified by a proper filing officer prior to an election. To vote for a write-in candidate, voters must write the name of the qualified write-in candidate in the space provided on the ballot for the appropriate contest.

Where can I see who has qualified as a write-in candidate for an election?

Candidate qualification lists are posted to our website prior to each statewide election. Please visit our homepage for the link to election-specific information.

I want to vote for a write-in candidate. Do I have to spell the candidate’s first and last name correctly when I vote? What is required?

If you are wishing to vote for a qualified write-in candidate, you should write one of the following in the space provided on the ballot:

• the candidate’s first and last name OR
• the candidate’s first name, middle name or initial and last name OR
• one or two initials of the candidate’s first name and their last name OR
• the candidate’s last name alone if there is no other declared write-in candidate for the office or position that is the same or so similar as to tend to confuse the candidates’ identities

An abbreviation, misspelling or other minor variation shall be accepted as a valid vote as long as your intention is clearly discernable by the election board legally responsible for reviewing it.

You cannot use a stamp or sticker with the candidate’s name in order to complete your ballot, and you should fill in the oval on your ballot next to the name you write. However, should the oval not be filled-in, your vote would still count if you wrote the name of a qualified candidate as described above, and the election board determines that your intention was clearly discernable.

How are write-in votes reviewed and counted?

Appointed election board judges, a group of multi-partisan poll workers, is responsible for the review and manual counting of qualified write-in votes in accordance with state law and procedures prescribed by the Secretary of State’s Office. These judges carefully review each write-in vote cast to see if the voter wrote a candidate’s name and if the voter’s intention was clearly discernable.

Election board judges are required to document their determination on a tally sheet for each write-in vote. These tally sheets are later audited for accuracy during the post-election county and state canvases.

Are write-in votes always tallied on Election Day?

State statute requires poll workers to pause the tabulation and tallying of ballots at 11:00 pm on Election Night. Should such a pause occur, election boards will reconvene the following day to continue their work.

The tallying of write-in votes may begin on Election Night, but because it is a manual process, it often continues into the days following Election Day.