Property Tax Questions Could Have Dramatic Impacts
By Tania Soussan
Many political and advocacy groups work to get out the vote every election season. The League of Women Voters takes that mission a step further and aims to ensure voters are informed about the issues when they cast their ballots.
The nonpartisan, all-volunteer organization doesn’t take a stand on issues or endorse candidates but strives to educate voters, something it’s been doing for decades.
“This is what the league does,” said Karen Wentworth, first co-vice president of the League of Women Voters of Central New Mexico. “We try to make sure people understand what they’re voting on.”
Most voters are familiar with the candidates at the top of the ballot, but “they get down to the constitutional amendments or the city charter amendments and they say, ‘What? I’ve never thought about this,’” Wentworth said.
The league’s voter guide is available online in a statewide version and distributed free in print versions tailored to Central New Mexico, Santa Fe and Los Alamos counties, and Southern New Mexico. The guide is due to be published the first week of October, right before early voting opens. Bernalillo County residents can look for it at early voting centers, senior and community centers, city libraries and some private businesses.
League members research the ballot measures and write the guide, including information such as pros and cons for city charter amendments. Wentworth, a veteran KOAT-TV journalist, has been working on the voter guide since 2015.
“I like the league because it’s the fairest source of information that I’ve been able to find as a voter for many years,” she said.
Voters can access the league’s resources at lwvnm.org/information.html.
Constitutional amendments
This year, voters face an important — and confusing — decision that could fundamentally change how New Mexico approaches property taxes.
“This is just something people need to pay attention to,” Wentworth said. “It’s a big deal.”
Two state constitutional amendments would expand tax breaks for some veterans. Currently, 100% disabled veterans and their widowed spouses are exempt from paying property taxes on their principal residence. Amendment 1 would also allow partially disabled veterans and their widowed spouses to receive a tax exemption, with the amount based on their level of disability. A veteran with a 30% disability would receive a 30% exemption, for example. Amendment 2 would increase the property tax exemption for honorably discharged veterans and their widowed spouses from $4,000 to $10,000, with the amount adjusted annually for inflation, according to the state Legislative Council Service.
Those sound straightforward, but the implications are important to consider, Wentworth said.
To make the exemptions possible, much of the lost revenue would be made up by other property owners. For residents of Bernalillo County, for example, property tax bills would automatically increase by an estimated $25 to $50 a year for each amendment. But even that may not be enough to make up the loss in Bernalillo County, which has more veterans than other counties, Wentworth said.
Approving the amendments also could be seen as valuing the service of veterans higher than the service of others who provides valuable service to the community such as wildland firefighters, police officers, teachers or others, she added. It would be the first time New Mexico assessed property taxes according to who lives in a property rather than the assessed value.
Pros and cons of the constitutional amendments written by the Legislative Council Service will be included in the league voter guide and also can be found online at nmlegis.gov/Publications/New_Mexico_State_Government/Constitutional_Amendment/Constitutional_Amendments_2024.pdfv.
Candidates
The League of Women Voters also provides information on candidates. Like the Albuquerque Journal, the league asks candidates their views on issues and publishes their responses. The league does not edit candidates’ answers.
“Candidates go in and enter their information themselves,” Wentworth said. “No one touches it. It’s them talking directly to the voters.”
That information can be found on the league’s national vote411.org portal. Enter your address to get personalized voting information and see what candidates are saying.
The league also moderates candidate forums for neighborhood groups and others.
“The main service the league is offering is a quiet calm space for people to discuss issues,” Wentworth said. “We don’t allow people to come in and shout and yell. … It’s just candidates talking calmly to each other.”
