NM House narrowly endorses open primaries for unaffiliated voters

The New Mexico House of Representatives by a small margin on Friday voted in favor of opening upcoming primary elections to unaffiliated voters.

Co-sponsor Rep. Cristina Parajón (D-Albuquerque) defended the bill in a roughly two-hour debate Friday on the House floor, with fewer than 24 hours left in the session. She said opening primaries to unaffiliated voters will expand turnout and democratic buy-in from an increasingly disaffected voter base, particularly young people. 

Bill to allow independents to vote in primaries passes first committee

As of December 2024, 340,000 New Mexico voters, roughly a quarter of all voters in the state, were not affiliated with any of the state’s three major parties, which are Democrats, Republicans or Libertarians, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. And 40% of New Mexico voters aged 18 to 24 are unaffiliated, Parajón said during the floor debate Friday. 

“For me, this was about democracy and strengthening a democratic republic to involve more folks in the electoral process,” she said. 

The notion of letting unaffiliated voters cast ballots drew support and criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. Rep. Matthew McQueen (D-Galisteo) said he was concerned about the constitutionality of the law, particularly the First Amendment right to free association. 

Enacting the law would tell political parties, “that under your bill, you have to allow people who are not members of that party to participate in your primary,” McQueen said. 

Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) opposed the bill because she said it would result in candidates that “nobody wanted” winning primaries. 

But Republican Reps. John Block (R-Alamogordo) and Rod Montoya (R-Farmington) wondered aloud whether opening the primaries would help Republicans chip away at the Democrats’ majority in the state Legislature, based on their senses of which party unaffiliated voters tend to lean toward. 

Block ultimately voted against the bill. Montoya joined 35 other representatives voting for it, he said, after changing his mind during the floor debate. He said opening primaries could make for more moderate candidates across the board and that it could shake up political races across the state to Republicans’ benefit. 

“I’m looking at this today and considering voting for this, because it’s kind of a high-risk, high-reward poker stakes here,” he said. 

New Mexico is one of just 10 in the country that has closed primaries. Parajón said there’s little evidence in other states of partisan voters “raiding” the other party’s primary to vote for extreme or unelectable candidates. New Mexico law changes in the last few years allowed those independent voters who want to vote to use same-day registration to change their affiliation to one of the state’s major parties – Democrat, Republican or Libertarian – to participate in primary elections. 

The bill passed 36-33. It previously passed the Senate 27-11. It now heads to the governor’s desk.

Corrections: This story has been updated since publication to clarify the law change only would apply to unaffiliated/independent voters; and to correct state Rep. Rod Montoya’s first name. Source regrets the errors.