New Mexico Secretary of State

Description

The Secretary of State for New Mexico is an elected state office, second in line of succession behind the governor and the lieutenant governor. When the governor and lieutenant governor are out of state, the secretary of state must fill in and perform all of the functions of the governor. The secretary maintains records of bills signed into law, referendum petitions, and legislative journals, and ensures that proposed amendments to the New Mexico Constitution are published in at least one newspaper in every county in the state for four consecutive weeks, in both English and Spanish. The secretary also serves as registered agent for service of process for foreign corporations in some lawsuits. The secretary of state is the keeper of the Great Seal of the State of New Mexico and affixes the seal to all commissions issued in the name of the governor. The salary for this position is $85,000/year.

Application Guidelines

To file for this position follow these three steps: 1) Contact the New Mexico Secretary of State Division of Elections to confirm that your registered address qualifies you for the position you intend to run for, and that you meet other office specific qualifications. Obtain the correct candidacy filing paperwork. 2) Complete the required candidacy paperwork including: a declaration of candidacy, nominating petitions if you are running as an independent and the appropriate campaign finance forms. File these papers with the appropriate filing officer. If you plan to run as a partisan candidate please contact your local party office. 3) Submit the filing paperwork with the stipulated amount of signatures to the New Mexico Secretary of State Division of Elections. The amount of signatures varies by office. The filing day for statewide and U.S. representative major party candidates (Democratic, Libertarian, and Republican) is the first Tuesday in February. The filing day for independent candidates is the 23rd day after the primary election. The New Mexico primary election is held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June. The New Mexico Secretary of State Division of Elections, which serves as the point of contact for any questions or concerns, can be reached at (505) 827-3600.

Submit application to:
New Mexico Secretary of State, New Mexico Capitol Annex North, Santa Fe, NM, 87501, US