Given that backdrop, four candidates are vying to be the next leader of the state Democratic Party. The chairman election will take place during a state central committee meeting on Saturday in Albuquerque that will be attended by an estimated 500 delegates from around the state.

For years, New Mexico voters who decide not to affiliate with a major political party have faced challenges — if not outright barriers — when it comes

This change is expected to significantly increase voter participation. In the 2024 primary elections, only 232,000 New Mexicans voted, representing just 22% of registered Democrats and Republicans. This low turnout highlights the potential for open primaries to engage a broader electorate.

With the stroke of a pen, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham enfranchised almost 350,000 independent voters recently by signing a bill for open primaries. Just a few years ago, bills to open the primaries were languishing in the state legislature,