Constitutional Amendment 1: Governor Veto Messages and End of the Pocket Veto
Statewide — all of New Mexico
General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
- Referred to voters by the New Mexico Legislature as a proposed constitutional amendment; the Secretary of State lists it among four amendments on the November 3, 2026 ballot. A majority of the votes cast on the question is needed to adopt it.[1][3]
The question on the ballot
Proposing an amendment to Article 4, Section 22 of the Constitution of New Mexico to require the governor to provide veto messages on all bills vetoed in whole or in part and to provide that all bills passed by the legislature and not acted on by the governor will become law.[2][1]
Ends the "pocket veto": currently, a bill presented to the governor in the last three days of a session does not become law unless the governor signs it. Under the amendment, such a bill becomes law unless the governor vetoes it within 20 days after adjournment, and every veto (in whole or part) must include an explanation. The guide describes it as requiring a written, substantive explanation for the veto. The legislature passed it in 2025 (House Joint Resolution 2). No fiscal impact is stated in the guide.[1]
A YES vote means
Eliminates the pocket veto so that bills not acted on by the governor become law, and requires the governor to give an explanation for every veto.
A NO vote means
Leaves the constitution unchanged: a bill presented to the governor in the last three days of a session that the governor does not sign does not become law, and no veto explanation is required.
The law today
Under Article 4, Section 22, a bill presented to the governor in the last three days of a session must be approved within 20 days after adjournment or it does not become law (a "pocket veto"), and the governor need not explain it. From 2014 through 2026, governors have pocket vetoed 166 bills and vetoed 180 bills. The legislature can override a regular veto by a two-thirds vote of both chambers.[4]
Official fiscal estimate
The Legislative Finance Committee's March 2025 fiscal impact report estimated a nonrecurring cost of $30,000 to $50,000 to the Secretary of State and an indeterminate but minimal recurring cost to the Office of the Governor.[6]
Arguments made for
- Argument in support suggested by Legislative Council Service staff (the publication says its arguments "represent suggestions from the Legislative Council Service staff" and "do not necessarily reflect legislative deliberations"): "Provides greater transparency to the public and the legislature regarding why a governor vetoed a bill."[1][4]
- Argument in support suggested by Legislative Council Service staff (the publication says its arguments "represent suggestions from the Legislative Council Service staff" and "do not necessarily reflect legislative deliberations"): "Potentially brings greater balance among the branches of government."[1][4]
Arguments made against
- Argument in opposition suggested by Legislative Council Service staff (the publication says its arguments "represent suggestions from the Legislative Council Service staff" and "do not necessarily reflect legislative deliberations"): "This proposed amendment is unnecessary and could be overly burdensome." It notes the legislature can already require a veto reason by presenting bills before the last three days of a session.[1][4]
- Argument in opposition suggested by Legislative Council Service staff (the publication says its arguments "represent suggestions from the Legislative Council Service staff" and "do not necessarily reflect legislative deliberations"): "The requirement to provide a 'substantive explanation' is undefined," which it says could lead to litigation between the legislative and executive branches.[1][4]
On record in support
- Rep. Matthew McQueen (D-Galisteo), co-sponsor of the resolution, told Source NM he believes the measure supports “transparency and good government.”[5]
On record in opposition
- None found in public sources.
Research notes & limits
Source: the New Mexico Secretary of State's 2026 Voter Guide and its published ballot question text. The guide reproduces purpose statements and arguments for and against prepared by the legislature (it links nmlegis.gov's Constitutional Amendments 2026 publication) and states that this analysis does not necessarily reflect the Secretary of State's views; arguments are the guide's unattributed summaries, not statements by named campaigns. The Secretary of State says only the title (in capital letters on the joint resolution) appears on the ballot. Required vote: a simple majority. Legislative vote tallies were not retrieved. The Santa Fe County Clerk's 2026 list words this title in a different order (provision on bills becoming law first, then veto messages); the text used here is the Secretary of State's. The arguments are suggestions written by Legislative Council Service staff (the publication's disclaimer says they do not necessarily reflect legislative deliberations and that the number of arguments does not indicate weight), not statements by a named campaign; no registered campaign committees or named opponents were found. Fiscal figures are from Legislative Finance Committee fiscal impact reports on the resolutions.
Sources · 6
Researched 2026-10-19. Green citations are official government records.
- 1.2026 General Election Voter Guide: Constitutional Amendments and General Obligation Bonds · New Mexico Secretary of State · 2026-09 Official record
- 2.2026 General Election: Statewide Constitutional Amendments and General Obligation Bonds (ballot question text) · New Mexico Secretary of State · 2026-09 Official record
- 3.New Mexico 2026 ballot measures · Ballotpedia · 2026-10-18 Reference
- 4.Constitutional Amendments 2026 (summaries and arguments for and against) · New Mexico Legislative Council Service · 2026 Official record
- 5.New Mexico Election 2026: Constitutional Amendments 1-3 · Source NM · 2026-09-17 News report
- 6.Fiscal impact report, House Joint Resolution 2 (Eliminate Pocket Vetoes, CA) · New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee · 2025-03-04 Official record