Los Alamos County certifies voting machines before June 2 primary election

Los Alamos County Clerk Michael Redondo certified local voting machines at the Municipal Building on April 21, a behind-the-scenes step that must happen before ballots are cast in the June 2 primary election. Carmen Lopez of Observe New Mexico Elections attended as a third-party observer, giving the public a window into a process most voters never see.

The certification mattered because it was one of the safeguards that helps ensure the county’s election equipment is checked, tested and ready before early voting and Election Day. In practical terms, the process is designed to confirm that software, hardware and procedures are working correctly so ballots are counted accurately when voters start casting them.

That scrutiny carries extra weight this year. New Mexico’s 2026 Primary Election is set for Tuesday, June 2, and the state is now operating under semi-open primaries, a change that took effect July 1, 2025. Under the new system, decline-to-state voters can take part in a primary without changing their registration status. Once voting has started, however, a voter cannot change party registration to participate in that same primary.

The Legislature created the change through SB 16, and state election officials have pointed to the size of the unaffiliated electorate to show why it matters. More than 340,000 voters, about 24.4 percent of registered voters in New Mexico as of December 2024, were unaffiliated.

State law also reinforces the role of public oversight. The New Mexico Secretary of State is required to provide for testing and evaluation of voting systems used in polling places, and challengers, watchers and observers are allowed when they are properly designated. Self-appointed watchers are not permitted at polling places. Los Alamos County’s own election information also spells out watcher and challenger rules, underscoring the county’s emphasis on legal access and transparency.

For Los Alamos, the certification came after another major election milestone: the County Clerk’s Office completed candidate qualification for the June 2 primary in March. Redondo has also been discussing the primary changes, responsibilities and voting timelines in community settings such as the Kiwanis Club, part of the broader push to make the new rules more understandable to voters.

The stakes are straightforward for residents who will vote in the June primary. The machines that tabulate those ballots have already been checked in public view, under the county clerk’s supervision, with a third-party observer present. That is how election trust is built in practice, through repeatable procedures, visible oversight and preparation long before the polls open.