The New Mexico Secretary of State, Rebecca Vigil-Giron, a Democrat, will ask the legislature to move the minor party nominee petition deadline from mid-July to early June, when the New Mexico legislature convenes on January 17. In 2005, she persuaded the legislature to move independent candidate petition deadlines from September to June. She had meant to move both deadlines, but due to a drafting error, only the independent petition was moved last year.

New Mexico is the only state that even requires a qualified party to submit petitions for each of its nominees. The Libertarian Party is likely to sue to overturn the “double petition” requirement later this year. A similar lawsuit in Maryland won in 2003.