Voter turnout statewide in Tuesday’s local elections increased by approximately 22% from two years ago, according to unofficial results from the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office, with just over 25% of the state’s nearly 1.4 million registered voters casting ballots in close to 1,000 various contests.
The 50 nonpartisan mayoral races across the state included a field of eight contenders in Santa Fe to succeed two-term Mayor Alan Webber, who did not seek reelection. Santa Fe has used ranked-choice voting since 2018, which requires candidates in races with more than two people to garner at least 50% of the vote through elimination rounds.
The Santa Fe County Clerk livestreamed that process shortly after 10 p.m. and declared City Councilman Michael Garcia, who has been a vocal critic of Webber’s administration, the next mayor of the capital city. The Santa Fe County Clerk’s office reported 31.7% voter turnout, slightly higher than 30.98% from the last local election.
The Village of Taos also elected a new mayor, Dan Barrone, according to unofficial results.
In Albuquerque, which has automatic runoffs for candidates who did not receive at least 50% of the vote, incumbent Mayor Tim Keller and former Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White will face off Dec. 4. Unofficial results from the Secretary of State had them receiving 36% and 31% of the vote, respectively, among a field of seven contenders (one of whom had previously dropped out of the race).
Keller addressed supporters shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday evening at the Arrive Hotel in Downtown Albuquerque and said he was gearing up.
“We are ready for a runoff,” he said, before pointing at the television news cameras: “Darren White, we are coming for you.”
In the six-minute speech to an enthusiastic crowd, the mayor defended his record over two terms, including touting progress with police reform and homelessness. And he said his campaign’s relative success came despite “immense criticism,” some of which he acknowledged as warranted.
“I listen. I understand the challenges that we have. I get that,” he said. “I also know some criticism was not warranted. It was not even true. But we know this. We are ready for a runoff for the future of our city, and we defend our families, we defend our city, and we’re going to stand up for what we believe in, whether it’s inside our city, or whether it is against Washington, DC and their efforts to divide us.”
All election results remain unofficial until county-level canvassing is completed and the State Board of Canvass meets Nov. 25 to certify results and order any recounts. Unofficial results as of publication showed more than 30 possible recounts throughout the state.