2025 Guidelines for Publicly Financed Candidates
The number of required Qualifying Contributions, spending, and aggregate limits is determined by voter registration in the district in which the candidate is running. The number of registered voters will be extracted from the County Clerk’s voter registration database on the last business day in February of an election cycle.
Exploratory Period
Applicants may test the waters before filing for candidacy.
- Mayor Candidates: March 3 - April 18, 2025
- City Council Candidates: April 27 - June 4, 2025
Participating candidates shall not have, within one year prior to the declaration of intent to seek public financing, raised or expended any monies in excess of the pre- and post- Exploratory Period contribution limits with the intent or effect of campaigning for elected office.
Qualifying Period
- Mayor Candidates: April 19 - June 21, 2025
- City Council Candidates: June 2 - July 7, 2025
Spending Limit
- Mayor:
- District 1:
- District 3:
- District 5:
- District 7:
- District 9:
Qualifying Contributions
Applicant Candidates must receive Qualifying Contributions from 1 percent of the registered voters in the district the candidate wishes to represent.
- Mayor:
- District 1:
- District 3:
- District 5:
- District 7:
- District 9:
Districts 2, 4, 6, and 8 are not elected in the 2025 Regular Local Election.
In-Kind Contribution Limits
| Office | Individual In-Kind | Aggregate In-Kind |
|---|---|---|
| Mayor | $2,500 | |
| Council District 1 | $2,500 | |
| Council District 3 | $2,500 | |
| Council District 5 | $2,500 | |
| Council District 7 | $2,500 | |
| Council District 9 | $2,500 |
Seed Money Contribution Limits
| Office | Individual Seed Money | Aggregate Seed Money |
|---|---|---|
| Mayor | $250 | |
| Council District 1 | $250 | |
| Council District 3 | $250 | |
| Council District 5 | $250 | |
| Council District 7 | $250 | |
| Council District 9 | $250 |
Petition Signatures
In addition to qualifying for public financing, Applicant Candidates must also gather petition signatures pursuant to the City Charter and Ordinances.
- Candidate for Mayor must gather more than 3,000 signatures from registered voters within Albuquerque City limits from April 19 - June 21, 2025.
- Candidates for City Council must gather more than 500 signatures from registered voters within the district the candidate wishes to represent from June 2 - July 7, 2025.
Election Day
The 2025 Regular Local Election will be held on November 4, 2025.