The New Mexico Libertarian Party has never had a government-provided primary. The only minor party that has ever had its own primary in New Mexico is the Green Party, which had one in 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2004. The state requires a party to meet two tests to have a primary: (1) a vote of 5% for a statewide office; (2) registration of three-tenths of 1%.

New voter registration data shows that the Libertarian Party now meets the registration test, which it had not met earlier this year. If the party polls 5% for president on November 8, then it will be entitled to its own primary in 2018, assuming that its registration is still above three-tenths of 1% in January 2018. The Green Party also meets the voter registration test, and has met it for over twenty years.

The new registration data totals for all parties is: Democratic 599,813; Republican 399,930; Libertarian 5,714; Independent American 4,661; Green 3,891; Constitution 359; Better for America 121; Party for Socialism & Liberation 64; American Delta 12; independent 242,106; miscellaneous 32,813. These figures are not on the state’s web page, except that the state web page does have the Democratic and Republican totals.

The new percentages are: Democratic 46.52%; Republican 31.02%; Libertarian .44%; Independent American .36%; Green .302%; Constitution .03%; Better for America .01%; Party for Socialism & Liberation and American Delta under .01%; independent and miscellaneous 21.32%.

The February 2016 percentages were: Democratic 46.28%; Republican 31.13%; Green .31%; Libertarian .26%; Independent American .18%; Constitution .02%; independent and miscellaneous 21.82%.

Although the Independent American Party also meets the voter registration test, it has no candidates for statewide office this year, so it can’t possibly meet the vote test.

Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Loren McMaster will hear De La Fuente v Padilla on Monday, November 7, at 3 p.m. The issue is whether Rocky De La Fuente should be added to the list of declared write-in presidential candidates. The Secretary of State disallowed his filing at the end of the day on October 28. De La Fuente had filed on October 14 and the state did not notify him of any problem until two weeks later. The state says some of his candidates for presidential elector are registered at addresses that are different than the addresses the candidates showed in their filing. However there is no state law, or regulation, saying that the addresses must match. Nor is there any warning to presidential elector candidates that the address they list on the form must match their voter registration address. Many individuals have more than a single address.

The hearing is at Sacramento Superior Court, 720 Ninth Street, Sacramento, fourth floor, courtroom 31. The case number is 2016-8000-2478.

On November 5, the Oregon Secretary of State posted new voter registration data. Scroll down to the third chart. It tells not only the number of registered voters in each party, but how many members of each party have already sent in their mail ballots. Percentages are: Democratic 38.45%; Republican 27.86%; Independent Party 4.64%; Libertarian .74%; Working Families .42%; Green .40%; Constitution .14%; Progressive .07%; independent and miscellaneous 27.27%.

Percentages in February 2016 were: Democratic 38.04%; Republican 29.62%; Independent Party 5.09%; Libertarian .79%; Working Families .53%; Green .43%; Constitution .16%; Progressive .09%; independent and miscellaneous 25.24%.