NOTICE OF RIGHT TO INSPECT PUBLIC RECORDS
The New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act (the “Act”) provides that every person has the right to inspect public records of the State of New Mexico. The Office of the Secretary of State maintains records in both our Elections and Operations Bureaus, which are subject to inspection. The Act also makes compliance with requests to inspect public records an integral part of the routine duties of our office.
A person desiring to inspect public records may submit a request to the records custodian orally or in writing. However, the procedures and penalties prescribed by the Act apply only to written requests. A written request must contain the name, address, and telephone number of the person making the request. The request must describe the records sought in sufficient detail to enable the records custodian to identify and locate the requested records.
The records custodian must permit inspection immediately or as soon as practicable, but no later than fifteen (15) calendar days after the records custodian receives the inspection request. If inspection is not permitted within three (3) business days, the person making the request will receive a written response explaining when the records will be available for inspection or when the public body will respond to the request. If any of the records sought are not available for public inspection, the person making the request is entitled to a written response from the records custodian explaining the reasons inspection has been denied. The written denial shall be delivered or mailed within fifteen (15) calendar days after the records custodian received the request for inspection.
The Office of the Secretary of State maintains many of our records on our website and provides the public the opportunity to request many documents through the web. If the records you seek are not available on or through our website, please send requests for public records to:
Maritza Lewellen - sos.elections@state.nm.us
325 Don Gaspar – Suite 300
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
Copies and Fees
If a person requesting inspection of a public record would like a copy of that record, the Act permits us to charge a reasonable fee for copying or duplicating public records. The fee for documents eleven inches by seventeen inches or smaller is $0.25 per page. The fee for larger documents is $0.50 per page, if we have the ability to duplicate the size requested. For records other than documents, the reasonable fee is $6.75 for videos/DVDs and $2.75 for audio tapes, again, if we have the ability to duplicate the specified record in the format requested. The records custodian may request that applicable fees for copying public records be paid in advance, before the copies are made. A receipt indicating that the fees have been paid for making copies of public records will be provided upon request to the person requesting the copies. If person requesting the record wishes to receive the record electronically, we will comply with such a request, if possible.
Voter Data is available separately from the Bureau of Elections.
Corporations information is available separately through the Business Services Division.