Report: 2022 midterm drew record numbers, but rate of participation dropped

May 1—New Mexico's 2022 election drew record numbers for midterm races, but the percentage of registered voters casting ballots has fallen as the increasingly blue state gives some people less reason to vote, according to a University of New Mexico report released Tuesday.

About 43.4% of the state's eligible voters took part in the midterm election two years ago, dropping from the 46.6% in 2018 and staying relatively even with previous midterms going back to the early 2000s, UNM's election report shows.

One telling sign is the percentage of New Mexico's registered voters going to the polls for midterm races lags 2% to 3% behind the national average. That's in contrast to 20 years ago when a more purple New Mexico stoked greater competition between the major parties and, in turn, more voter interest, the report said.

"As the state becomes more of a one-party state, there's less motivation to vote," said Lonna Atkeson, a political analyst and one of the report's authors. "As New Mexico continues to get more blue, we've reached the turnout problem that is associated with that."

The university has compiled a biannual election report since 2006, looking at trends, voter participation and how the state ran the elections. Atkeson has been involved in producing each of the reports.

The Secretary of State's Office funded the 2022 study.

The increase in the sheer number of people voting can be linked to the state's population growing to 2.1 million residents from 1.85 million in 2000.

It's more significant to look at the percentage of eligible voters who are taking part as well as who is voting, Atkeson said.

In the past three elections in even-numbered years, women made up 54% of the state's voters versus 43% for men, the report said. Women also were more likely to register as Democrats than men — 53% to 43%.

Nationally, strong turnout of younger voters has been credited with helping Joe Biden win the presidential race in 2020 and stemming a predicted red wave in 2022.

But in New Mexico, voters 18 to 29 casting ballots dropped to 9% in 2022 from 13% two years before.

Voters aged 30 to 64 showed little change in that period, while people older than 65 surged by 7 percentage points.

Voters over 65 have trended higher in turnout since 2018 than the national average, indicating New Mexico has an older population than much of the country, the report said.

The state's Hispanic electorate remains heavily blue, with about 69% of these voters registered as Democrats versus 31% Republican.

Election officials credit same-day registration with bolstering turnout.

Most voters expressed confidence in election security, with 85% who were surveyed saying they felt their vote was counted. Privacy proved an important factor; only 21% who doubted their privacy was protected felt sure their votes were correctly counted.

Roughly a third of voters thought their privacy was adequately safeguarded.

Still, New Mexico's approach to running elections put it at the top of a national performance index with a score of 88%.

"The information and data in these reports is crucial for assessing the public's views about their voting experiences in New Mexico," Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver said in a statement. "Though it's a great achievement that New Mexico's election administration has been ranked first in the nation, there's always room for growth."

Atkeson said the biannual study has helped boost the state's performance through a rigorous self-evaluation. At the same time, Toulouse Oliver and many county clerks are striving to improve the state's elections, she said.

"All of these things together is really what catapulted New Mexico into the top spot," Atkeson said.