Constitution of New Mexico (2025 publisher edition) — ARTICLE XIX

Publisher edition notice: This collection preserves the complete Secretary of State's 2025 compilation, identifying amendments through 2024, including the publisher's source notes and annotations. Later amendments have not been independently verified.

ARTICLE XIX

ARTICLE XIX Amendments Sec. 1. Proposing and ratifying amendments. 2. Constitutional conventions. 3. Initiative restricted. 4. Amendment of compact with United States.

-- 178 of 216 --

175© 2025 State of New Mexico. New Mexico Compilation Commission. All rights reserved. Article XIX – Amendments Section 1. [Proposing and ratifying amendments.] An amendment or amendments to this constitution may be proposed in either house of the legislature at a regular session; and if a majority of all members elected to each of the two houses voting separately votes in favor thereof, the proposed amend- ment or amendments shall be entered on their respective journals with the yeas and nays thereon. An amendment or amendments may also be proposed by an independent commission established by law for that purpose, and the amendment or amendments shall be sub- mitted to the legislature for its review in ac- cordance with the provisions of this section. The secretary of state shall cause any such amendment or amendments to be pub- lished in at least one newspaper in every county of the state, where a newspaper is published once each week, for four consec- utive weeks, in English and Spanish when newspapers in both of said languages are published in such counties, the last publi- cation to be not more than two weeks prior to the election at which time said amend- ment or amendments shall be submitted to

-- 179 of 216 --

176© 2025 State of New Mexico. New Mexico Compilation Commission. All rights reserved. Article XIX – Amendments the electors of the state for their approval or rejection; and shall further provide no- tice of the content and purpose of legisla- tively approved constitutional amendments in both English and Spanish to inform elec- tors about the amendments in the time and manner provided by law. The secretary of state shall also make reasonable efforts to provide notice of the content and purpose of legislatively approved constitutional amendments in indigenous languages and to minority language groups to inform elec- tors about the amendments. Amendments approved by the legislature shall be voted upon at the next regular election held after the adjournment of that legislature or at a special election to be held not less than six months after the adjournment of that leg- islature, at such time and in such manner as the legislature may by law provide. An amendment that is ratified by a majority of the electors voting on the amendment shall become part of this constitution. If two or more amendments are initiated by the legislature, they shall be so submit- ted as to enable the electors to vote on each of them separately. Amendments initiated by an independent commission created by law for that purpose may be submitted

-- 180 of 216 --

177© 2025 State of New Mexico. New Mexico Compilation Commission. All rights reserved. Article XIX – Amendments to the legislature separately or as a single ballot question, and any such commission- initiated amendments that are not substan- tially altered by the legislature may be submitted to the electors in the separate or single ballot question form recommended by the commission. No amendment shall restrict the rights created by Sections One and Three of Article VII hereof, on elective franchise, and Sections Eight and Ten of Article XII hereof, on education, unless it be proposed by vote of three-fourths of the members elected to each house and be rat- ified by a vote of the people of this state in an election at which at least three-fourths of the electors voting on the amendment vote in favor of that amendment. (As amended November 7, 1911 and November 5, 1996.) Sec. 2. [Constitutional conventions.] Whenever the legislature, by a two-thirds vote of the members elected to each house, deems it necessary to call a convention to revise or amend this constitution, they shall submit the question of calling such conven- tion to the electors at the next general elec- tion, and if a majority of all the electors vot- ing on such questions at said election in the

-- 181 of 216 --

178© 2025 State of New Mexico. New Mexico Compilation Commission. All rights reserved. Article XIX – Amendments state votes in favor of calling a convention, the legislature shall, at the next session, provide by law for calling the same. Such convention shall consist of at least as many delegates as there are members of the house of representatives. Revisions or amendments proposed by a constitutional convention shall be submit- ted to the voters of the state at an election held on a date set by the convention. The revisions or amendments proposed by the convention may be submitted in whole or in part, or with alternatives, as determined by the convention. If a majority vote favors a proposal or alternative, it is adopted and be- comes effective thirty days after the certifica- tion of the election returns unless otherwise provided by the convention. (As amended November 7, 1911 and November 5, 1996.) Sec. 3. [Initiative restricted.] If this constitution be in any way so amended as to allow laws to be enacted by direct vote of the electors the laws which may be so enacted shall be only such as might be enacted by the legislature un- der the provisions of this constitution. (As amended November 7, 1911.)

-- 182 of 216 --

179© 2025 State of New Mexico. New Mexico Compilation Commission. All rights reserved. Article XX – Miscellaneous Sec. 4. [Amendment of compact with United States.] When the United States shall consent thereto, the legislature, by a majority vote of the members in each house, may submit to the people the question of amending any provision of Article XXI of this constitution on compact with the United States to the extent allowed by the act of congress per- mitting the same, and if a majority of the qualified electors who vote upon any such amendment shall vote in favor thereof the said article shall be thereby amended ac- cordingly. (As amended November 7, 1911.)