New Mexico Secretary of State touts 'successful' first-ever semi-open primary
More than 37,000 independent voters cast ballots during New Mexico’s first-ever semi-open primary election, which Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver touted as a success Tuesday evening as results continued to pour in from the primary election.
The Legislature in 2024 enacted Senate Bill 16, which allows independents, also known as “decline to state” voters, to no longer have to register as either Democrats or Republicans to vote in primary elections.
The change meant those voters — who comprise a growing number of the New Mexico electorate — could simply request either a Democratic or Republican ballot during the primary election that concluded Tuesday.
While the final figures on which party they selected were not immediately available on Tuesday night, Secretary of State data as of 5 p.m. showed that roughly 47% of the 33,545 independent voters who had cast ballots during the primary voted for Democrats.
https://sourcenm.com/briefs/new-mexico-secretary-of-state-touts-successful-first-ever-semi-open-primary/