Los Alamos County opens filing for minor party and independent candidates

Los Alamos County’s ballot field for November started to take shape when filing opened June 25 for minor-party, independent, write-in and judicial retention candidates, a deadline that could still determine whether several local races remain one-sided or become contested.

The filing window ran from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the distinction between where candidates file matters. Statewide and congressional contenders file with the New Mexico Secretary of State in Santa Fe, while candidates for other offices file with the county clerk in the county where they live. The state’s candidate guidance also lays out the paperwork candidates may need, including declarations of candidacy, nominating petition forms, write-in forms, judicial retention forms and address confidentiality requests.

For Los Alamos voters, the stakes go beyond administrative paperwork. The 2026 General Election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 3, and the state proclamation includes county-level offices that shape daily government in Los Alamos, including magistrate judge, municipal judge, county sheriff, county assessor, county councilors and probate judge. Who filed on June 25 will help determine whether those contests offer voters a choice or head toward the fall as effectively uncontested races.

Judicial retention is part of that calculus, too. Retention questions do not look like traditional head-to-head contests, but New Mexico’s election results database shows they can draw substantial yes and no vote totals, including in 2024 metropolitan-court retention races. That makes retention seats a real ballot decision for voters who want a say over who stays on the bench.

Michael D. Redondo, who became Los Alamos County clerk in January 2025 after four and a half years as Los Alamos County probate judge, is the county’s point of contact for election questions. His office is at 1000 Central Avenue, Suite 240, in Los Alamos, and reached election-related inquiries at elections@losalamosnm.gov or (505) 662-8010.

The county clerk’s office says it maintains voter registration records, conducts elections, works closely with the Secretary of State and keeps an online database of more than 130,000 electronic public-record documents. Those duties put the office at the center of ballot access, especially when independent and minor-party candidates try to clear the filing hurdles that separate campaign talk from an actual place on the ballot.