Our endorsements this year have rested on a few plain principles. Government should be open about how it makes decisions. Public officials should be judged by results, not by party labels or noise. Taxpayer money deserves careful stewardship. And Alamogordo and Otero County deserve their fair share from Santa Fe.

Every Otero County ballot also carries four constitutional amendments, three statewide bond questions and, as the last item, a county economic development tax. They get less attention than the candidates, but they will shape state and county government for years. Here is how we recommend voting, and why each choice follows from the same principles behind our endorsements of Grace Nagamine in House District 51 and Liam Griffin in Senate District 33

Amendment 1: Governor’s vetoes — YES

Today, a bill sent to the governor in the last three days of a session dies if the governor simply does nothing. No explanation, no record, no chance for lawmakers to fix it. One estimate counts about 143 bills killed this way from 2014 to 2024, under governors of both parties.

Amendment 1 ends that. A bill would become law unless the governor vetoes it with a substantive written explanation within 20 days after the session ends, and every veto would require an explanation.

This is the transparency we have asked of every candidate. It was sponsored by Republicans and Democrats together and passed the House 66–0 and the Senate 38–0. Critics warn that “substantive explanation” is undefined and could invite lawsuits, and that a rush of last-minute bills could become law by default. Those are fair concerns, but the Legislature can define the standard by statute. A governor who kills a bill should have to tell the public why.

Amendment 2: School election timing — NO

This amendment deletes the constitutional requirement that school elections be held separately from partisan elections. It would let school districts put bond and mill-levy questions on the November ballot, and would let a future Legislature move school board races onto the same ballot as races for governor and Congress.

Supporters make a real case. Stand-alone school elections cost districts $125,000 to $250,000 each, and turnout in off-cycle school races can be less than half of on-cycle turnout. If the amendment were limited to bond and mill-levy questions, we would likely support it.

But it is not limited. It removes the wall between school boards and the partisan ballot entirely, leaving the rest to whichever majority holds power in Santa Fe. With partisan divides growing, our schools should be the last place we invite them. We explain our reasoning in full in a separate editorial. Vote no, and let the Legislature return with a narrower fix.

Amendment 3: University regents — YES

Today, governors appoint university regents with no required qualifications, and governors of both parties have filled those seats with friends and donors. Amendment 3 would create a nominating committee for each of the state’s ten universities, including NMSU, which governs NMSU-Alamogordo. Governors could appoint only from the committee’s list, the Senate would still confirm, and appointees could not have switched parties in the prior year to game the process.

Opponents argue that an unelected committee blurs accountability. We take that seriously, but the governor still appoints and the Senate still confirms. What changes is that the people running our universities would have to be qualified to do it. That is the same standard of competence over connections we have applied to the Legislature itself. It passed the House 67–0 and the Senate 34–7.

Amendment 4: Legislator pay — NO

New Mexico is the only state that pays its legislators no salary. Amendment 4 would pay each of them the state median household income, about $68,000 today, adjusted annually and beginning in 2029. The estimated cost is about $7.6 million a year.

We understand the appeal. Supporters say a salary would open the Legislature to working people who cannot afford to serve for free, and that is a real problem. Many of the candidates we admire most come from exactly that background.

But this amendment writes a paycheck without a job description. It sets pay above the national average for legislators, about $44,000, with no limit on outside income and no added service required beyond the existing 30- and 60-day sessions. It leaves open how benefits, pensions and per diem would be treated.

It also tilts the field toward incumbents. Sitting legislators would draw a salary while challengers give up income to run against them. This year we have endorsed two challengers who are running on their records of service, not their titles. A salary for incumbents would make races like theirs harder.

The amendment passed largely along party lines, 41–26 in the House and 23–19 in the Senate, and several Democrats voted no. A legislator salary may deserve a place in New Mexico’s future, but it should come with clear duties, real accountability and a fair field for challengers. This one does not.

Bond Questions 1, 2 and 3 — YES

All three bond questions were authorized by House Bill 248, which passed the House 65–0 and the Senate 38–0. The Legislative Finance Committee reports the package was sized to replace bonds being paid off, keeping the state’s bond tax rate flat rather than raising it.

Bond 1, senior facilities ($21.6 million): Includes $260,000 for vehicles for Otero County senior centers. Helping seniors stay connected and age at home is a priority we have backed throughout this campaign season.

Bond 2, libraries ($19.3 million): Funds materials for public, school, academic and tribal libraries. The Alamogordo Public Library, local school libraries and NMSU-Alamogordo are eligible to apply.

Bond 3, higher education ($352.2 million): Includes $1 million for NMSU-Alamogordo to replace keyed locks with electronic access control on every building, a direct investment in campus safety.

The New Mexico Business Coalition opposes all three. It estimates they cost about $46 a year per $100,000 of taxable value, and argues that rejecting them could lower property taxes. It also points out that Bonds 1 and 2 pay for vehicles, equipment and materials that may wear out before the 10-year debt is repaid. That is the strongest argument on the other side, and Bond 2 is the weakest of the three on those grounds.

Otero County receives only about $1.26 million of the $393 million package, and the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Alamogordo receives nothing. That is a fair grievance, and it is exactly the kind of fight we expect our legislators to win next session. But voting these bonds down would not send one more dollar to Otero County. On balance, a tax-neutral package that funds senior transportation, campus security and local libraries deserves a yes.

County LEDA gross receipts tax — NO

The last question on the Otero County ballot asks voters to approve a new countywide gross receipts tax of one-eighth of one percent (0.125%) under the Local Economic Development Act. The money would fund economic development projects, and the county is using the state’s model ballot question, which also makes retail businesses, cultural facilities and arts and cultural districts eligible.

Supporters, including the Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce, describe it as about a penny on an $8 purchase. They note that 83 New Mexico communities have LEDA ordinances, that awards must be approved by county ordinance in a public process, and that projects carry clawback provisions if promised jobs never come.

Economic development is a worthy goal. But voters are being asked to approve the money before anyone has shown them the plan. Two of the Republican leaders who endorsed Grace Nagamine put it best. Former City Manager Dr. Stephanie Hernandez asked, “If this tax passes, what’s the plan?” Former Mayor Susan Payne said, “We need a strategy first, then determine how to fund it.” Neither objects to LEDA itself. Both object to taxing first and planning later.

The county’s books give voters more reason for caution:

Audit findings: The county’s fiscal 2025 audit reported six findings, three of them repeats, including material weaknesses, a $1.37 million cash reconciliation gap and more than $3.3 million in capital asset adjustments.

Budget gap: The fiscal 2026 budget projected about $65.5 million in revenue against about $84.9 million in spending.

No sunset or targets: The measure has no sunset date, and the county has published no estimate of jobs per dollar.

Who pays: Gross receipts taxes fall hardest on lower-income households, the same working families already squeezed by rising costs and this year’s PNM bills.

This is not inconsistent with our yes on the state bonds. Those bonds were sized to replace retiring debt and keep the rate flat. The LEDA tax is new money taken from every purchase in the county, with no plan, no sunset and no clean audit behind it. Accountability first. Until the county shows voters the strategy, the books and who gets paid, the responsible vote is no.

One ballot, one standard

From the candidates to the last item on the ballot, we have tried to apply one test: does it make government more open, more accountable, and more useful to the people who pay for it? By that test, we recommend YES on Amendments 1 and 3, NO on Amendments 2 and 4, YES on all three bond questions, and NO on the county LEDA tax.

Each of these questions is decided by the votes cast on it, so do not skip the bottom of your ballot. Every vote counts.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. According to the Otero County voter guide, polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., any Otero County voter may use any voting convenience center in the county, and same-day registration is available. Confirm details at NMVote.org or with the County Clerk at (575) 437-4942.

More News from Alamogordo

• Keep Our Schools Off the Partisan Ballot: Why We Recommend No on Amendment 2 Vote no as it opens the door to partisan races on school boards at a time partisanship is destroying our nation. 
• Endorsement: For Senate District 33, Liam Griffin Has Already Shown Up Liam Griffin has shown us who he is when no one was watching. That is the kind of leader we want in Santa Fe.