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In New Mexico, primary elections fall on June 2, 2020.(Photo: Niyazz, Getty Images/iStockphoto)

LAS CRUCES - New Mexico will be among the last four states to weigh in on the presidential primaries.

New Mexico's primary elections take place June 2, with the state's three major parties Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians selecting candidates for the Nov. 3 election.

While voters will have to wait several more weeks to mark their ballots, primary season begins in earnest next weekfor those involved with campaigns.

Besides the office of president, primary voters will select their parties' candidates for county offices, state legislatorsand for the United States Congress.

By statute, New Mexico's primary elections are limited to voters affiliated with the respective party. Independent voters, officially designated as"decline to state" in New Mexico, may not participate.

A sign at the Doa Ana County Government Center marks an early-voting site on Friday, Nov. 2, 2018, ahead of Election Day for the general election. Wide-ranging races, including governor and the 2nd Congressional District, appear on the ballot.(Photo: Diana Alba Soular/Sun-News)

The "closed primary" law survived its most recent legal challenge before the New Mexico Supreme Courtin 2019.

2020 is a big political year. Keep up with asubscriptionto the Las Cruces Sun-News.

Tuesday, March 10 isthe date for party candidates to file petitions declaring their candidacies for local office with the Doa Ana County Clerk's office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

In the event an office's jurisdiction straddles multiple counties, the candidate files in the county of their residence.

Filing day for write-in party candidates is March 17.

Candidacies for statewide and federal offices were certified in February, although petitions for presidential candidates are accepted by the New Mexico Secretary of State's office through March 30, according to the office'scandidate information guide.

Click here to read the 2020 primary election candidate guide.

Independent and minor party candidates do not participate in the June 2 primaries, but to run in the general election in November they must circulate petitions and declare candidacy at their county clerk's officeon June 25.

The SOS received candidate filings for statewide and federal offices from candidates in February.

Voters must be registered as Democrat, Republicanor Libertarian to participate in the primaries,and registered voters cannot switch partiesduring same-day voter registration.

Voters can check their registration status and make changes online at http://www.NMvote.org.

Voter registration for the primaries closes on May 5.

To be legally eligible to vote, you must:

Online registrants will be asked to providethe last four digits of their Social Security numbers. If the registrant has a New Mexico-issued driver's license or state ID, the state will verify your information through the state Motor Vehicle Division.

In the event the state cannot verify that information, a follow-up letter is sent to the registrant.

If registering by mail,applicants registering for the first time need to include a copy of at least one of the following:

IDrequirements via mail

Note: A current valid photo identification card from a post-secondary educational institution in New Mexico, when accompanied by a current student fee statement that shows the student's address, is also acceptable.

If you register for the first time by mail and do not include a copy of one of the documents above, you will be required to present it when voting for the first time.

Voters filling out ballots at the Doa Ana County Government Center during the primary Election Day. Tuesday June 5, 2018.(Photo: Josh Bachman/Sun-News)

A qualified elector may register or update voters' registrationin person at the county clerks office, or designated alternative voting locations, immediately prior to voting from when early voting begins on May 5 through May 30, 2020.

If you've seen a voter registration table at events such as farmers' markets or county fairs, then you have met a "Voter Registration Agent."

Authorized VRAs can assist you in completing and filing your voter registration, and are required to issue a receipt with their voter registration number. That number should also appear on the registration form.

Doa Ana County voters can complete their ballot at any one of 40 voting locations in the county. A complete list of locations is available on the county Bureau of Elections website,www.DonaAnaCounty.org/elections/vcc.

When you check in at the location and confirm your identity, you will be issued the ballot appropriate for your party affiliation.

If you're not in Doa Ana County, check with your county clerk's office

Early voting begins on May 5 at theDoa Ana County Clerk's office, 845 N. Motel Blvd. in Las Cruces, during business hours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On May 30, the Saturday prior to the election, this location will also be available for voting from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Starting May 16, early voting will be available at seven locations in the county from Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The last day for early voting will be Saturday, May 30.

A sign in the Doa Ana County Government Center on Monday, Aug. 20, 2018.(Photo: Diana Alba Soular / Sun-News)

Voters can request an absentee ballot in advance, either at the county clerk's office or an early voting location prior to Election Day. There is also an online application at the New Mexico Secretary of State's website, which will require confirmation of the voter's identity.

The ballots may be turned in at voting locations or to the county clerk's office beginning May 5.

The last day to request an absentee ballot is Friday, May 29.

Absentee ballots are provided with two envelopes. The ballot is to be inserted into the inner envelope, which is then enclosed in an outer envelope requiring the voter's signature. The ballot can be mailed or turned in at a voting location or the county clerk's office; but it has to be in the envelopes, and the envelopes need to be filled out correctly.

The ballots must be turned inby 7 p.m. on June 2.

Click here for more information about absentee voting by mail.

Voters cannot bring an unmarked absentee ballot to a polling place and complete it there.

Falsifying information on absentee ballots is a fourth-degree felony.

Under New Mexico law, a voter's caregiveror immediate family membermay deliver that voter's absentee ballot to the county clerk in person or by mail, but the voter must sign the outer envelope.

In 2019, New Mexico lawmakers passeda "tuneup" of state election laws, including some changes to the Absent Voter Act which regulates absentee voting.

Under the statute, applications for mailed ballots require the applicant's printed name, registration address and year of birth. Lawmakers alsoadded languageconcerning online applications for mailed ballots, requiring the voter to provideall the information required for a paper form, including a New Mexico driver's license number or state identification card number.

Absentee ballots have prompted questions and court filings since the 2018 election, in which more than 8,500absentee ballots were determinativefor the U.S. House seat in New Mexico's second congressional district.

The Republican candidate in that race, Yvette Herrell, impounded the county's absentee ballots and conducted an audit which identified some irregularities. Herrell did not contest the election in court, but in recent campaign ads for the 2020 primaryshe has claimed "on Election Day, we won, but the Democrats took it away."

More:Yvette Herrell ad claims Democrats 'took' the election away from her in 2018

Per theDoa Ana County Clerk's office,required voter registration information is verified before an absentee ballot is issued. When absentee ballots are received, they are scanned but not counted before Election Day. The ballots are qualified by the Absent Voter Board, an appointed body that may not include more than two judicial members from the same political party.

The volunteer board may begin qualifying ballots as early as the Thursday before Election Day, examining outer envelopes to check for voters' signatures. Absentee voters also are provided with an inner "secrecy envelope."

The state Republican Party filed suit last November accusing the county of improperly qualifying absentee ballots, and seekinga declaratory judgment by the court on the interpretation of the law.

Algernon D'Ammassa can be reached at 575-541-5451,adammassa@lcsun-news.comor @AlgernonWrites on Twitter.

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New Mexico primaries are on June 2: Are you ready? Here's what you need to know - Las Cruces Sun-News