What to expect as New Mexico votes are tallied

What voters are deciding

New Mexico voters will elect leaders for federal, state and other offices Tuesday. Because the election covers several levels of government, the results will involve multiple contests rather than one combined statewide outcome.

Each office has a separate vote tally. Numbers reported for one contest describe only that race and do not determine the result of another contest appearing on the same ballot. Voters following the election should check which office is attached to each update.

How the count will be followed

The AP Decision Team will monitor key facts and data points as votes are tallied. The totals can change as the counting process continues, so each update represents the count for a particular office at that point in the process.

The main information to follow is the office being reported, the latest vote data for that contest and how the tally changes with subsequent updates. Federal, state and other offices may appear in the same stream of election reporting, but each must be read separately.

What to watch Tuesday

Watch for updated totals tied clearly to individual offices. A shift in one tally should not be applied to any other contest, even when updates arrive at about the same time.

Also watch how the AP Decision Team assesses new data as it enters the count. The sequence of updates will show how each contest develops while New Mexico’s votes are being tallied.