Primary season: Time to meet candidates
In a presidential election year, it’s easy for voters to lose sight of elections closer to home — races at the local and state level where every vote counts and too many contests are decided during the June primary rather than the November general election.
And so it is in New Mexico, where candidates — for county commission, district attorney, state Legislature, to name some of the contests being decided in 2024 — are vying for dollars, attention and votes right now, long before November.
That’s because the final decision will happen in just a few weeks.
The primary election is June 4, with early voting starting May 7 at county clerks’ offices across the state and expanding May 18. With the start of voting just around the corner, learning more about candidates and issues is essential. Time is of the essence.
At 6 p.m. Thursday, a forum for one seat on the Santa Fe County Commission kicks off what we are sure will be a busy primary season. The forum for District 4 candidates will last from 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. It is sponsored by the Santa Fe County Democrats, and is happening at their headquarters, 1420 Cerrillos Road. We’re sure this is the first of many forums — for all offices, not just District 4. The League of Women Voters is planning a host of debates later this month.
District 4 is one of three commission seats on the Democratic Party primary ballot this year. The race features Stephen Chiulli, Adam Fulton Johnson and Mika Old, who are vying to succeed incumbent Anna Hamilton, who served two terms.
Other seats being contested are Districts 2 and 5. In District 2, candidates are Lisa Cacari Stone, Scott Fuqua and Benito Martinez Jr. Incumbent District 2 commissioner Anna Hansen has met term limits and can’t run again.
District 5 has only one candidate, incumbent Hank Hughes.
No Republicans are running for county commission, so if you miss the Democratic primary, your opinion won’t count come November. The primary winners are unopposed — something the county GOP should seek to address. As the saying goes, you can’t win if you don’t play. Santa Fe may be heavily Democratic, but that doesn’t mean the right non-Democrat can’t break through.
If you aren’t registered as a Democrat, your opinion also won’t count in June. New Mexico has a closed primary system for its major parties. Republicans, Democrats and Libertarians each have their own primary, and only voters registered with the party can participate. Unaffiliated or minor party voters don’t get to vote at all. The closed system, unfortunately, leaves out a lot of voters.
One question to ask all candidates, especially those running for the Legislature or positions supervising elections, is whether they favor a more open primary system. The group, New Mexico Open Elections (formerly New Mexico Open Primaries) has worked diligently to persuade lawmakers that voters would benefit from a system where all could participate, regardless of party registration. Such reform is closer than many people realize.
In 2023, legislation passed the state Senate and made it through one House committee to allow a semi-open primary. This system would let independents and minor party affiliates choose a party and vote in the primary of their choice. With some 25% of voters declining to state a party preference, this is an important reform to increase voter participation.
Also important to increasing participation is voters willing to do the work to learn more about candidates and issues. At The New Mexican, we’ll be covering the races in print and online, of course. We urge all citizens to take time to show up at forums to ask questions and meet the candidates. Then, get out and vote.
After all, voting is the right of citizens but, more important, it’s a sacred responsibility.