General Information
2014
In the 2013 and 2014 regular sessions, the Fifty-First New Mexico Legislature passed five joint resolutions proposing amendments to the state constitution, and these proposed amendments will be presented to the voters of New Mexico on the November 4, 2014 general election ballot. The Constitution of New Mexico provides that the legislature, by a majority vote of all members elected to each house, may propose amendments revising the constitution and that proposed amendments must then be submitted to the voters of the state for approval. A proposed amendment becomes part of the state's constitution if a majority of the votes cast in an election on the proposition is cast in its favor, unless the proposed amendment affects one of the sections for which a three-fourths' majority is required, which is the case this year with Constitutional Amendment 1. Proposed constitutional amendments become effective upon approval by the voters unless an effective date is provided within the text of the proposed amendment. This publication contains, for each proposed amendment that will appear on the November 4, 2014 ballot, a summary and the full text of the joint resolution proposing the amendment. Included with the summary are background information and summaries of arguments for and against the passage of the amendment. Each joint resolution states whether the proposed constitutional amendment repeals an existing section of the constitution, adds a new section or amends an existing section. When an existing section is being amended, new material is shown by underscoring and language to be deleted is shown within brackets. The title of the joint resolution, appearing in capital letters, is the only amendment language that will be shown on the ballot.
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