Ballot Access News
The New Mexico Libertarian Party held a primary on June 5. It had no gubernatorial candidate whose name was printed on the ballot, but it had a write-in gubernatorial candidate, Bob Walsh. Write-in candidates in primaries need as many write-ins as the number of signatures that would have been needed to put that same candidate on the primary ballot. For 2018 statewide Libertarians, the requirement was 230 write-ins. The original count showed Walsh with 175 write-ins.
The New Mexico Libertarian Party held a primary on June 5. It had no gubernatorial candidate whose name was printed on the ballot, but it had a write-in gubernatorial candidate, Bob Walsh. Write-in candidates in primaries need as many write-ins as the number of signatures that would have been needed to put that same candidate on the primary ballot. For 2018 statewide Libertarians, the requirement was 230 write-ins. The original count showed Walsh with 175 write-ins.
He requested a recount in eight counties, but the results only gained
him eleven votes, so he is still short and his name won’t be on the
November ballot. However, some news stories erroneously have said that
therefore the party will lose its status as a major party. Actually
section 1-7-7 says, “‘Major political party’ means any qualified
political party, any of whose candidates received as many as 5% of the
total number of votes cast at the last preceding election for the office
of Governor or president, as the case may be, and whose membership
totals not less than one-third of 1% of the statewide registered voter
file.”
UPDATE: see this thorough article in New Mexico Politics, which does a good job of explaining the controversy over the vote test.
UPDATE: see this thorough article in New Mexico Politics, which does a good job of explaining the controversy over the vote test.
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