San Juan County clerk explains New Mexico's first semi-open primary rules

San Juan County voters who are registered independent, Declined-to-State, or with a qualified minor party now face a different set of rules for the June 2 primary election, with the county clerk’s office saying the first semi-open primary in New Mexico will let some voters choose a major-party ballot without changing registration. Major-party voters, by contrast, must vote in the primary of the party with which they are registered.

The change comes from Senate Bill 16, passed in the 2025 legislative session and now in effect statewide. Under the new system, voters who are not registered with a qualified political party can select either major party’s ballot. Voters registered with a qualified minor party must switch to a major party or Declined-to-State before the election, or use same-day registration, to participate in the primary.

Advocates say the shift could bring more than 330,000 independent and Declined-to-State voters into primary elections. Common Cause New Mexico says those voters make up 22% of the state electorate, while turnout in the 2024 primary was 17%, a reminder of how few registered voters typically show up when major-party primaries decide so much of the ballot.

In San Juan County, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 2. The clerk’s office said early voting and equipment certification began April 22, and absentee tabulator work begins May 27. The deadline for online and mail voter registration is May 5, and absentee ballot requests are due May 19.

San Juan County Clerk Lynda St. Clair is among the local officials responsible for making the new system understandable before ballots are cast. The practical question for many voters is simple: if you are independent or Declined-to-State, you can choose one major-party primary ballot this year without changing your registration; if you belong to a major party, you stay with that party’s primary; if you are in a qualified minor party, you must change registration or use same-day registration to take part.

The semi-open primary will be used for the first time in New Mexico on June 2, making this election the test case for a rule change that could reshape who participates in the county’s earliest and most consequential local contests.