ALAMOGORDO, N.M., Oct. 20, 2026 — With early voting under way and Election Day two weeks off, 2nd Life Media has published the 2026 Otero County Nonpartisan Voter Guide, a free 32-page reference that walks voters through every contest and every question on the county’s Nov. 3 general-election ballot. The guide is a joint project of AlamogordoTownNews.org and KALHRadio.org, with New Mexico Conservative News and The 47th Voice as partners.
The guide is available now as a free pdf download at:
Otero County voters will decide 33 separate items this year, from the U.S. Senate to the county probate judge, plus four proposed amendments to the New Mexico Constitution and three statewide bond questions. The guide organizes all of them in ballot order and, for every contested race, gives each candidate the same treatment: a background sketch, a summary of where the candidate stands in the candidate’s own words, and a section reporting what opponents and critics say. Each constitutional amendment and bond question gets a plain-English explanation, a side-by-side table of the arguments for and against, and a list of who is publicly supporting and opposing it.
“Every race. Every question. Both sides.” is the guide’s stated standard. The publishers do not endorse any candidate or ballot question in it. Candidate positions are drawn from the candidates’ own campaign materials, questionnaires, debates and interviews; criticisms are attributed to the opponents and organizations making them, so readers can judge the source for themselves.
What’s inside
• Federal: U.S. Senate (Ben Ray Luján vs. Larry Marker) and the 2nd Congressional District (Gabriel Vasquez vs. Greg Cunningham).
• Statewide: Governor and Lieutenant Governor (Haaland/Garcia Richard vs. Hull/Gallegos), Secretary of State, Attorney General, State Auditor, State Treasurer and Commissioner of Public Lands.
• Judicial: the Court of Appeals special election and yes/no retention votes on two Supreme Court justices, a Court of Appeals judge and two 12th Judicial District judges, with the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission’s recommendation on each.
• Legislature: the Senate District 33 special election and House Districts 51, 53, 54 and 56.
• County: County Commission Districts 1 and 2, Sheriff, Assessor, Probate Judge, both Magistrate divisions and Public Education Commission District 7.
• Constitutional Amendments 1–4: ending the governor’s pocket veto, allowing school elections alongside partisan elections, nominating committees for university regents, and a salary for state legislators tied to median household income.
• Bond Questions 1–3: $393 million for senior centers, libraries and higher education — including $260,000 for Otero County senior-center vehicles and $1 million for NMSU-Alamogordo.
How, when and where to vote
The guide opens with a voting section built from the Otero County Clerk’s 2026 early-voting notice.
Early voting continues weekdays at the County Administration Building, 1101 New York Ave., Room 101, and Tuesday through Saturday at the Otero County Fairgrounds, 401 Fairgrounds Rd., through Saturday, Oct. 31
. One-day and short-run sites include Cloudcroft High School on Saturday, Oct. 24; the Inn of the Mountain Gods in Mescalero Oct. 28–30; and the Chaparral Far South Fire Station Oct. 29–31. T
oday, Oct. 20, is the last day to request an absentee ballot.
On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and any registered Otero County voter may vote at any convenience center in the county.
Same-day registration is available at every early-voting site and on Election Day for those who bring proof of identity and residency.
The guide also lists who is not on the ballot — candidates who filed but did not qualify, withdrew or were disqualified — so voters are not surprised by names they have seen on social media.
The guide was compiled Oct. 20, 2026, from the New Mexico Secretary of State, the Otero County Clerk, the Legislative Council Service, the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission, candidate campaigns and statewide news coverage; a full source list appears on its final page. The guide may not be all comprehensive and any errors or omissions are accidential. The goal is to provide a non-partisan tool or summary of each issue and candidate. For the most up to date information contract the Otero County Clerks office or the SOS office.
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