ONME’s election observation efforts span 11 municipalities
Santa Fe, NM – Absentee and early in-person voting has now concluded in 11 municipalities in New Mexico. Nonpartisan election observers trained and organized by Observe New Mexico Elections (ONME) have been conducting polling site observations throughout the early voting period. Their efforts will continue on Election Day, November 4, 2025.
ONME is a nonpartisan election observation network that works to increase trust and transparency in New Mexico’s elections. In advance of the November 2025 elections, ONME trained registered voters to serve as impartial election observers for local elections in Alamogordo, Albuquerque, Carlsbad, Clayton, Farmington, Gallup, Las Cruces, Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Silver City and Taos. ONME chose to observe elections in municipalities that have opted in to the 2018 Local Election Act, which means they are run by county clerks using the same election handbook used in federal elections.
Observers receive training on relevant laws, procedures, and safeguards in New Mexico’s electoral process and then visit polling sites to report on the extent to which procedures are consistently followed. ONME is funded by The Carter Center, which has conducted nonpartisan election observation in more than 125 countries around the world.
“It’s exciting to see the observation data coming in from the ONME observers. The observers are local community members who were trained to use a detailed checklist of important items to watch for at the polls,” said Carmen Lopez, Co-Lead of ONME. “This initiative would not be possible without the involvement and dedication of local community members who want to learn about elections and care about how it all works. We look forward to reviewing their reports and findings about the election processes they observed and continuing important conversations about how to improve transparency and trust in New Mexico’s elections.”
During early voting, ONME observers visited 39 polling places in 11 counties. They also observed voting machine certification, poll worker training, and the counting of absentee ballots in 11 counties.
122 ONME observers will monitor 116 voting sites on Election Day. ONME will then compile and share a comprehensive report that summarizes observers’ findings, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement in election processes, and supporting ongoing dialogue about election integrity and best practices.
About Observe New Mexico Elections (ONME)
The mission of Observe New Mexico Elections is to increase transparency and trust in New Mexico’s elections by training and mobilizing nonpartisan election observers throughout the state. Observers report on election laws and procedures, without interfering in the electoral process. Findings from their observations will be compiled to assess the overall quality of elections in New Mexico.
###