How to be a Write In Candidate
Information on how to be a Write-In candidate for an Albuquerque Local Election.
Filing Date Deadline
Filing date for Write-In candidates is Tuesday, September 2, 2025. You can obtain and file your declaration with the County Clerk.
A new section of the Local Election Act, Section 1-22-8.1 NMSA 1978, is enacted to read:
1-22-8.1. WRITE-IN CANDIDATES.--
A. Write-in candidates shall be permitted in regular local elections.
B. A person may be a write-in candidate only if the person has the qualifications to be a candidate for the position for which the person is running.
C. A person desiring to be a write-in candidate for an office shall file with the proper filing officer a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate. The declaration shall be filed between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on the sixty-third day preceding the date of the election.
D. The declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate shall be accompanied by a nominating petition containing the same number of signatures or the filing fee required of other candidates for the same office.
E. A write-in candidate shall be considered a candidate for all purposes and provisions relating to candidates in the Local Election Act, except that the write-in candidate's name shall not be printed on the ballot nor posted in any polling place.
Required Forms
- Bank Account Confirmation Form
- Candidate Financial Disclosure
- Designation of Representative
- Acknowledgment of Charter, Code, Training on Petition and Qualifying Contributions, Campaign Finance Reporting System, and Rules
Please remember that the same rules apply for campaign finance reporting outlined in the City Charter.