![\""Voting](\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Voting#\/media\/File:Voting_United_States.jpg\")
<\/a>Tom Arthur \/ Creative Commons<\/p>
The legislation allowing some 17-year-olds to vote in primaries takes effect on May 18 — a few days after early voting for the June 7 primary begins on May 10. That means eligible 17-year-olds can vote beginning May 18. (photo cc info<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n “After consultation with the Attorney General, the Secretary of State has confirmed that beginning May 18, 2016, 17 year olds eligible to vote pursuant to House Bill 138 will be able to vote in the June 7, 2016 primary election,” states an April 9 memo<\/a> the Secretary of State’s Office sent to county clerks.<\/p>\n Earlier this year the N.M. Legislature and governor gave approval to a bill that lets\u00a017-year-olds who will be 18 on the date of the general election vote in\u00a0the\u00a0Democratic and Republican party\u00a0primaries\u00a0held in June. This year the general election is Nov. 8.<\/p>\n But there\u00a0was\u00a0confusion about the date\u00a0the bill<\/a> takes effect — and whether it would apply to this year’s primaries. When first introduced by Rep. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, the legislation\u00a0contained an emergency clause \u2014 which would have meant the bill\u00a0took effect immediately upon being signed by Gov. Susana Martinez and well in advance of this year\u2019s primaries.<\/p>\n However,\u00a0lawmakers stripped the emergency clause from the legislation before approving it in February. The Santa Fe New Mexican reported at the time<\/a> that the bill \u201cwould not go into effect until July 1<\/span><\/span>, some three weeks after this year\u2019s primary election in New Mexico. That means the soonest 17-year-olds would vote in a state primary would be 2018.\u201d<\/p>\n While a July 1 effective date\u00a0may have been the intent of some legislators, that\u2019s not when this\u00a0bill takes effect.\u00a0As mandated by the New Mexico Constitution, bills without any specified effective date \u2014 like this\u00a0one \u2014 take effect 90 days after the legislative session adjourns.<\/p>\n In this case, that means the legislation allowing some 17-year-olds to vote in primaries takes effect on May 18 \u2014 a few days after early voting for the June 7 primaries begins on May 10. That means eligible 17-year-olds can vote beginning May 18.<\/p>\n As NMPolitics.net reported in March<\/a>, county clerks were already preparing to implement the new law even before the SOS confirmed that it will be in effect for this year’s primaries.<\/p>\n The deadline to register to vote in the June primaries is May 10. People who will be 18 or older by the next general election can register now\u00a0online<\/a>,\u00a0at their county clerk\u2019s office<\/a>, or through\u00a0a certified agent working for an independent group.<\/p>\n