Constitutional Amendment 2: School Elections and Partisan Elections
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 to amend Article 7, Section 1 of the Constitution of New Mexico to remove the requirement that school elections be separate from partisan elections.[2][1]
Removes the constitutional provision that all school elections be held at different times from partisan elections. School districts could then place bond and mill levy questions on the even-year general election ballot, and the legislature could by law allow school board elections to be held with partisan elections; the amendment does not require either. The guide says a special all-mail school election can cost $125,000 to $250,000 depending on district size and number of issues.[1]
A YES vote means
Removes the requirement that school elections be held separately from partisan elections.
A NO vote means
Keeps the requirement that school elections be held at different times from partisan elections.
The law today
Article 7, Section 1 says "All school elections shall be held at different times from partisan elections." The separation dates to the 1910 Constitutional Convention; voters approved a 2008 amendment allowing school elections to be held with nonpartisan elections while still prohibiting them from being held with partisan elections.[4]
Official fiscal estimate
The Legislative Finance Committee's January 2026 fiscal impact report estimated nonrecurring General Fund election costs of $35,000 to $50,000 (printing and publishing the amendment) and said allowing school questions on partisan-election ballots would likely result in cost savings for schools that would otherwise pay for special elections.[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"): "School districts will save the cost of expensive all-mail ballots."[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"): "More participation in school elections." It says participation rates for statewide general elections tend to be much higher than for local elections.[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"): "Adding school questions to the general election ballot could create voter fatigue and increased costs."[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 amendment may lead to politicizing school district elections." It notes voters approved the separation requirement in 2008.[1][4]
On record in support
- Sen. Linda Trujillo (D-Santa Fe), co-sponsor of the resolution, told Source NM: “This is really to streamline” a district’s process to put bond questions before voters.[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 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, Senate Joint Resolution 1 (School Election Timing, CA) · New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee · 2026-01-24 Official record