By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper.
Sandoval County voters will help pick New Mexico’s next governor on Nov. 3, and one of the two names at the top of the ballot belongs to a hometown guy. Former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull, the Republican nominee, faces Democrat Deb Haaland in a race that will shape state policy on water, crime and the budget for the next four years.
The governor’s race is only the opening act. The general election proclamation from Sandoval County Clerk Anne Brady-Romero calls voters to fill federal, statewide, legislative, judicial and county offices. Below the races sit four constitutional amendments, three state bond questions and three county bond questions. Maybe bring a snack.
Early voting opens Oct. 6 at the county clerk’s office in Bernalillo. Twenty-two sites open Oct. 17.
At the top of the ticket
Hull runs with Republican David Gallegos for lieutenant governor. Haaland runs with Democrat Stephanie Garcia Richard, the outgoing land commissioner. In New Mexico, governor and lieutenant governor run as a team, so you get one vote for the pair.
U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, a Democrat, faces Republican Larry Marker.
Sandoval County is split among all three congressional districts, so your House race depends on your address. In District 1, Democrat Melanie Stansbury faces Republican Ndidiamaka Ekwua Charlene Okpareke. In District 2, Democrat Gabriel Vasquez faces Republican Gregory Cunningham. In District 3, Democrat Teresa Leger Fernández faces Republican Martin Zamora.
Statewide offices
Five more statewide offices are on the ballot, each with a Democrat and a Republican:
Secretary of State: Democrat Amanda López Askin and Republican Ramona Goolsby are running for the job of overseeing elections.
Attorney General: Democratic incumbent Raúl Torrez faces Republican Samuel Kane Sr.
State Auditor: Democratic incumbent Joseph Maestas faces Republican Joshua Lawrence.
State Treasurer: Democrat Laura Montoya faces Republican James Ellison.
Land Commissioner: Democrat Juan Sanchez III and Republican Michael Perry are competing to run the office Garcia Richard is leaving.
Legislature
Parts of Sandoval County fall into eight state House districts, according to the proclamation:
District 23: Republican Alan Martinez is unopposed.
District 41: Democrat Yolanda Jaramillo is unopposed.
District 43: Democrat Christine Chandler is unopposed.
District 44: Democrat Kathleen Cates faces Republican Adam Prior.
District 50: Democrat Sarah Boses faces Republican Kenneth Brennan.
District 57: Republican Catherine Cullen faces Democrat Chriselle Martinez.
District 60: Republican Joshua Hernandez faces Democrat Luke Jungmann.
District 65: Democrat Derrick Lente is unopposed.
County races
The sheriff’s race pits Republican Victor Rodriguez against Democrat John Paul Trujillo. For assessor, the office that sets your property’s taxable value, Republican Lawrence Griego faces Democrat Gerred Prairie.
Two County Commission seats are contested. In District 1, Democrat Paul Madrid faces Republican Rebecca Skartwed. In District 3, Republican Edwin Linson faces Democrat Frank Smith Jr.
For probate judge, Democrat Donna Tillman faces Republican Rebecca Torres. All three magistrate judge seats are uncontested: Democrats Ann Marie Maxwell-Chavez, F. Kenneth Eichwald and Delilah Montano-Baca.
Keep or replace the judges
Voters will decide whether to retain Supreme Court Justices David Thomson and Shannon Bacon, Court of Appeals Judge J. Miles Hanisee, and three 13th Judicial District judges: James Lawrence Sanchez, Amanda Sanchez Villalobos and Christopher Perez.
Amendments and bonds
Amendment 4 would pay legislators a salary for the first time, tied to the state’s median household income, about $68,000 today. Supporters told the League that a salary would let more working people run for office. Opponents counter that it would add more than $7 million a year in spending and give incumbents an edge. The change would take effect in January 2029.
Amendment 1 ends the governor’s “pocket veto” and requires written explanations for vetoes. Amendment 2 allows school bond and mill levy questions on general election ballots. Amendment 3 creates nominating committees for university regents.
The three state bonds total about $393 million for senior centers, libraries and higher education. If all three pass, the bonds would cost about $12.82 per year for every $100,000 of property value, the League reported, citing the State Board of Finance.
County voters also face three local bonds: $3.4 million for libraries, $9 million for a fire training facility and stations, and $22 million for a secure Bureau of Elections storage facility. So this ballot also asks whether to build a better home for future ballots.
Voters can register and cast a ballot on the same day at any early voting site or on Election Day. Bring a photo ID and proof of residence, such as a utility bill or bank statement. Any registered Sandoval County voter can use any vote center in the county.
BY THE NUMBERS
- 42: Election Day vote centers in Sandoval County, 15 of them in Rio Rancho
- 22: early voting sites
- 10: statewide questions (four amendments, three bonds) plus county bonds (three)
- $34.4 million: total Sandoval County bond requests
Key dates:
- Oct. 6: Online and mail registration closes. Early voting and same-day registration open at the County Clerk’s office.
- Oct. 17: Early voting expands to all 22 sites.
- Oct. 20: Last day to request an absentee ballot.
- Oct. 31: Last day of early voting.
- Nov. 3: Election Day. Vote centers are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
County Clerk’s office (early voting):
- Sandoval County Administration Building D, 1500 Idalia Road, Bernalillo
- Monday through Friday, Oct. 6-31, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Saturdays Oct. 17, 24 and 31, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Closed Monday, Oct. 12
Other early voting sites, open Oct. 17-31, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at most locations:
- Rio Rancho: Living Word Church, 1901 17th Ave. NE; Community of Joy Lutheran Church, 841 Saratoga Dr. NE; Our Lady Queen of Angels, 1701 Tulip Road SE; Amazing Grace, 4131 Barbara Loop SE, Ste. D-2; St. Francis Episcopal Church, 2903 Cabezon Blvd. SE
- Bernalillo: Our Lady of Sorrows Gym, TK S. Camino del Pueblo
- Corrales Community Center, 4324 Corrales Road
- Placitas Community Library, 453 Highway 165
- Sandia Pueblo, Santa Ana Pueblo (Tamaya Wellness Center), Santo Domingo Pueblo, San Felipe Pueblo, Cochiti Pueblo, Zia Pueblo, Jemez Pueblo, San Ysidro, Jemez Springs, Cuba (Sandoval County Fairgrounds), and the Torreon, Ojo Encino and Counselors chapter houses
Look up your sample ballot and vote center: nmvote.gov
Sandoval County Bureau of Elections: 505-867-7577, sandovalcountynm.gov
League of Women Voters guide: lwvcnm.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/LWVCNM-Bernalillo-Sandoval-2026-General-Web.pdf