DEMING – Candidates seeking elected office in Luna County must submit their paperwork by 5 p.m. today if they want their names to appear on the ballot for New Mexico’s upcoming primary election.
Tuesday marks Candidate Filing Day across the state, the deadline for Democrats and Republicans to officially declare their candidacy with their county clerk. Those filings determine which candidates will appear on the ballot for the June 2, 2026 primary election.
On filing day, candidates must submit a declaration of candidacy and required nominating petitions to qualify for the ballot. Paperwork must be filed with the county clerk’s office in the county where the candidate resides before the 5 p.m. deadline.
The primary election allows voters within each party to select their party’s nominee for the general election, which is scheduled for November 3, 2026.
For Luna County voters, a number of federal, state and local offices are part of the election cycle. Federal races include seats such as U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, while statewide positions and legislative seats may also appear on the ballot depending on the district.
Local county offices that are elected positions in Luna County include county commission seats, sheriff, county clerk, county treasurer, county assessor, probate judge and magistrate judge. Whether a specific office appears on the ballot depends on the term cycle for that position.
Political observers often watch filing day closely because it reveals who officially enters each race and whether certain offices will have contested primaries.
After the filing deadline passes, election officials will finalize the official list of candidates who will appear on the June primary ballot. Information about filed candidates will be available through the Luna County Clerk’s Office and the New Mexico Secretary of State’s website.