Voting and Elections

What is ERIC and what are the benefits of this program to the State of New Mexico?

The Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) is a non-profit organization, comprised of 24 states and the District of Columbia, with the sole mission of assisting states in their efforts to improve the accuracy of America’s voter rolls and increase access to voter registration for all eligible citizens. New Mexico joined ERIC in July 2016.

To find out more information about ERIC please visit their FAQ page: https://www.ericstates.org/faq/

Benefits to New Mexico:

• Improve voter registration by providing information for member states to contact potentially eligible but unregistered voters with instructions on how to register.
• Identify out-of-date records found by comparing voter registration data between states to motor vehicle department data and to the Social Security Administration master death index list.
• Efficient and effective data matching and cleaner voter rolls will result in such efficiencies as less returned mail, fewer provisional ballots on Election Day, shorter lines at polling places, etc.

Why is the Secretary of State sending out voter registration outreach postcards?

ERIC members are required to contact potentially eligible voters at least every two years, ahead of any federal general election. Members commit to contacting potentially eligible but unregistered (EBU) residents identified by ERIC, educating them on the most efficient means to register to vote. Members also commit to contacting voters whose registration information is identified by ERIC as inaccurate or outdated, educating voters on how to update their record.

Before every federal general election, since joining ERIC in 2016, the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office sends an informational EBU mailer to residents of New Mexico who have been identified as being possibly eligible to register to vote, but who at the time of the mailing are not registered to vote in New Mexico. The postcard informs the recipients that they may be eligible to vote in the upcoming election, details eligibility requirements, and provides information about how to register (if eligible) and where to go to receive more information about the election. The most recent mailer was sent in early September 2024.

What is a voter registration outreach postcard?

The postcard is sent to potentially eligible but unregistered voters in New Mexico as an invitation to register to vote online or by mail before the upcoming General Election voter registration deadline. 

Why am I getting a voter registration outreach postcard?

– A matching process was conducted between the New Mexico’s statewide voter registration database and the state’s motor vehicle database. It is possible that your records did not match up exactly and you were identified as not being registered to vote.

–You may have applied for a New Mexico driver’s license or state ID, and the information provided indicates that you potentially meet the eligibility requirements to register to vote in the state.  

–Your MVD information indicates that you will turn 18 years of age by Election Day, but you have not yet registered to vote.  

I am a non-citizen, why did I receive a voter registration outreach postcard?

If you are a non-citizen and you are in the motor vehicle database, you may have received a voter registration outreach postcard. However, given your non-citizen status, you are not eligible to vote and should not register. Registering to vote if you are not eligible is a felony.

I have received a voter registration outreach postcard, but I believe I am already registered. What should I do?

If you believe you have received the postcard in error, please verify your voter record online at: nmvote.org

If you have further questions about your voter record, you may call your local county clerk; check here for your local county clerk’s address and contact information.

You can also contact the Secretary of State Elections Division at  505-827-3600.

I need to update my information and/or register to vote, where can I go?

You may update your voter registration information such as your address or party affiliation and/or register to vote on the online voter registration system located at nmvote.org​.

Voter registration forms are also available at the Secretary of State’s office in Santa Fe, all County Clerk Office’s, Motor Vehicle Division offices, and many other public assistance offices. You can also call our office at 505-827-3600  and ask for a registration form to be mailed to you or download a copy from our website here.