Municipal Elections

Election Results

The ballot issues were:

• Sample Ballots: District 1, District 2, District 3, District 4, District 5,
• District 6, District 7, District 8, District 9
• Bond Information
• ABQ The Plan - Bond Question 12, Gross Receipts Tax Revenue Bond
• Proposition Information - Red Light Camera Question

General Information

The City Clerk is charged with administering municipal elections in the City of Albuquerque.  City elections are non-partisan and have no primaries. By law, General Municipal Elections are held in odd-numbered years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in October.  The next municipal election is October 4, 2011.  In the Regular Municipal Election a candidate must receive forty percent of the vote or there is a runoff election between the top two candidates.

Read Answers to Questions about Bonds.

Election Calendar

The 2011 Regular Municipal Election Calendar outlines all events and deadlines that a City Council candidate or any interested citizen should know with regard to the election.  Some dates and deadlines are mandatory while others are informational or require no action on the part of the candidate.  The calendar is subject to revision and update. The most recent revision was on April 29, 2011 to incorporate the date the City Clerk begins to mail absentee ballots, August 30, 2011.

Petitions

Individuals interested in running for City Council must reside within the Council District they wish to represent.  They must also receive the signatures of 500 registered voters within the District during the petitioning period of May 1, 2011 to June 28, 2011.  The petitions are created and provided by the City Clerk.  Please see City Charter Article II Section 4 and Section 2-4-12 ROA.

Campaign Financing

The City of Albuquerque provides candidates for Mayor and City Council the option of public financing for their campaign through The Open and Ethical Elections Code.  At the candidates option they may attempt to qualify for public financing or choose to finance their campaign through private contributions.

The City Clerk has established Regulations to successfully administer The Open and Ethical Elections Code.  The Rules were revised in April 2011 in a public hearing and were approved by Albuquerque Chief Administrative Officer, Robert J. Perry.

Campaign Finance Reporting

The Election Code and the Public Financing law both set out a detailed process that candidates and Measure Finance Committees must follow to report campaign contributions and expenditures.  All candidates and Measure Finance Committees must electronically report their contributions and expenditures.

Prior to filing their initial reports, all campaigns and committees must send a representative to the Office of the City Clerk to receive the mandatory training on the reporting system. Typically, the campaign or committee treasurer attends training, but candidates and other representatives are welcome to attend.  Individuals who have previously been trained for past campaigns are not exempt from training.

The Office of the City Clerk is now offering training for campaign finance reporting for the 2011 election.  Please contact Trina Casados at cityclerk@cabq.gov or 768-3030 to schedule an appointment for training.

Candidates seeking public financing or their representative must receive the training prior to filing their Declaration of Intent.  Privately financed candidates or their representative must receive training prior to the first campaign finance reporting deadline.

Private Financing & Contribution Limits

Candidates not seeking or qualifying for public financing may run a privately financed campaign.  The Election Code limits campaign financing for privately funded candidates by limiting contributions from any one individual to 5% of the annual Councilor salary, or $547.00.

Public Financing

For candidates interested in public financing, the Exploratory Period begins on March 15, 2011.  During this time, potential candidates may receive Seed Money Contributions not to exceed $100.00 per person as well as In-Kind Contributions.  The Qualifying Period runs from May 1, 2011 to May 31, 2011.  During this period, Applicant Candidates for City Council must receive Qualifying Contributions from a minimum of 1% of the registered voters within the district the candidate wishes to represent.  Following the end of the Qualifying Period, the City Clerk certifies which Applicant Candidates are Participating Candidates based upon the requirements of the Open and Ethical Elections Code.

Election Rules

In addition to the various state and local laws governing Municipal Elections, the Board of Ethics and Campaign Practices also promulgates Rules and Regulations for the Code of Ethics and the Elections Code.

Legislative Authority for Elections

Municipal elections are governed by the City Charter of Albuquerque and the Revised Ordinances of Albuquerque as well as federal and state law.

Local laws governing municipal elections include:

• Charter Article II, Elections;
• Charter Article XII, The Code of Ethics;
• Charter Article XIII, The Elections Code;
• Charter Article XVI, The Open and Ethical Election Code, also referred to as public financing; and
• Section 2-4-1, et,seq Revised Ordinances of Albuquerque; Municipal Elections; Petitions.
• Precinct Official's Election Day Guide

Please note, the website that houses the Revised Ordinances of Albuquerque is being updated with the City's newest ordinances and resolutions.  Should you have issues linking to the website, please try again at a later time.  We apologize for any inconvenience, but are striving to assure you are all provided with the most up-to-date information available.