Unofficial primary results show early Valencia County voting trends in key races

Early unofficial primary returns in Valencia County pointed to a changing power map in races that reach straight into taxes, property records and the courthouse. Celia Dittmaier, the incumbent assessor, was running behind Burgandy Casias and David Hyder, while in District 3 Republican incumbent Morris Sparkman trailed Sharon Smith and Democrat Karla Laurie led on her side of the ballot.

The numbers remained preliminary, and that mattered because absentee ballots received by 7 p.m. on Election Day were still being processed after the polls closed. Results will not become final until the Valencia County Commission and the New Mexico Secretary of State complete the canvass, and state rules also allow tabulation to pause at 11:00 p.m. on Election Night if needed. Write-in votes are expected to take additional time, leaving room for some close margins to move before certification.

The assessor race drew unusually sharp attention because Dittmaier is finishing her first term and the office sits at the center of household tax bills. Property owners were still feeling the fallout from 2025, when a valuation error helped produce shocking tax notices. Casias and Hyder’s early leads suggested that voters were ready to test whether a new hand should guide future assessments and whether the office could rebuild trust.

The judicial races carried their own local weight. Probate judge Wendy Wallace, also finishing her first term, appeared in the results alongside Democrat Pedro Rael, a former 13th Judicial District judge and former Valencia County commissioner. In the magistrate contests, Division III was close enough that recount scrutiny could become a factor depending on the final margin, a reminder that the courts affect everything from routine filings to how quickly cases move through the system.

Across the county, 32 candidates had filed for offices ranging from sheriff and two county commission seats to assessor, probate judge, all three magistrate divisions and state representative races. The crowded fields were especially visible in sheriff, District 1 county commission and Division III magistrate, where Republicans packed the ballot and kept several races unsettled.

The broader turnout picture also showed an electorate still engaged. Statewide, more than 181,900 voters had already cast ballots in New Mexico’s 2026 primary by June 1, including more than 18,500 voters not registered with a qualified political party, the first year independents could take part without changing registration under the semi-open primary system that began July 1, 2025. As of June 4, statewide turnout stood at 24.62 percent, with 346,705 ballots cast and 99.95 percent of precincts reporting. In Valencia County, the 2025 regular local election drew 18.46 percent turnout, up from 12.09 percent in 2021, a recent benchmark that underscored how much can still shift when the canvass begins.