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Santa Fe voters will fill half the seats on the City Council, choose a municipal judge and potentially decide on changes to the city charter in November’s election. While the city long held municipal elections in March, Santa Fe has opted in to the state’s calendar for holding elections, which moves the big day back to Nov. 7.
Which City Council seats are on the ballot?
The city is divided into four council districts and voters in each district elect two councilors—one every other year. The councilors running for re-election are:
District 2 Councilor Michael Garcia; District 4 Councilor Jamie Cassutt.
The seats occupied by the following councilors are on the ballot but they are not seeking re-election:
District 1 Councilor Renee Villarreal; District 3 Councilor Chris Rivera.
Who else is running?
Candidates who are not using public financing do not have to formally file with the County Clerk until Aug. 29.
Candidates have begun collecting the $5 donations they need to qualify for public financing, along with nominating petitions and complete the task by June 24.
The candidates seeking to qualify for public financing in District 1 are:
- Alma Castro
- Brian Gutierrez
- Kathy Rivera
In District 2:
- Councilor Michael Garcia
In District 3:
- Miguel Acosta
- Louis Carlos
In District 4:
- Joel Nava
In the race for municipal judge, incumbent Virginia Vigil is seeking another term. Also running for municipal judge is Chad Chittum, who is seeking public campaign financing.
Local residents can chip in a $5 donation to help a candidate qualify for public financing at this website: santafepcf.com
Read the city’s “candidate memo” here.
Which district do I live in?
The city adjusted the lines of council districts last year during redistricting—a once-a-decade process during which districts are redrawn to ensure Santa Fe’s population is distributed equally across each, based on new census data. You can see the new council districts here.
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What about the mayor?
Mayor Alan Webber won a second term in 2021. That term does not end until 2025.
How do candidates get on the ballot?
Candidates for City Council must collect petition signatures from a portion of voters in the district where they are running. The exact number of signatures required is based on the number of registered voters in each district and will not be finalized until mid-June.
What else is on the ballot?
The mayor and City Council might ask voters to change Santa Fe’s charter—the document that functions as the city’s constitution.
A volunteer commission has recommended several changes to the charter, including making it easier to put voters’ ideas on the ballot through initiatives, removing the mayor’s power to vote on all matters before the council and giving the mayor veto power.
But the council has yet to decide on placing any of these recommendations on the ballot.
How can I register to vote?
You can register to vote or check if your registration is up to date by visiting nmvote.org.