46th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2003

RELATING TO ELECTIONS; ABOLISHING PRIMARY ELECTION OF LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR CANDIDATES; REQUIRING MAJOR PARTY GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES TO SELECT THEIR RUNNING MATES; AMENDING AND ENACTING SECTIONS OF THE ELECTION CODE.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

Section 1. A new section of the Primary Election Law is enacted to read:

"[NEW MATERIAL] PRIMARY ELECTION LAW--SELECTION OF LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR CANDIDATE.--Each person desiring to be a major party candidate for governor in a primary election shall select a running mate to be that candidate's joint candidate for lieutenant governor in the primary election. State conventions of major political parties shall designate joint candidates for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor rather than individual candidates for each of those offices."

Section 2. Section 1-8-21.1 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1993, Chapter 55, Section 11) is amended to read:

"1-8-21.1. DESIGNATION OF CANDIDATES BY CONVENTION.--

A. State conventions of major political parties may designate candidates, or joint candidates in the case of governor and lieutenant governor, for nomination to statewide office or the office of United States representative.

B. No state convention for designating candidates shall be held later than the third Sunday in March preceding the primary election, and delegates to the convention shall be elected according to state party rules filed in the office of the secretary of state.

C. The state convention shall take only one ballot upon candidates for each office to be filled. Every candidate, or joint candidates in the case of governor and lieutenant governor, receiving twenty percent or more of the votes of the duly elected delegates to the convention for the office to be voted upon at the ensuing primary election shall be certified to the secretary of state as a convention-designated nominee for that office by the political party. Certification shall take place no later than 5:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday succeeding the state convention.

D. The certificate of designation submitted to the secretary of state shall state the name of the office for which each person is a candidate, his name and address and the name of the political party that the candidate represents and shall certify that the candidate has been a member of that political party for the period of time required by the Election Code."

Section 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the provisions of this act is July 1, 2003.