GRANTS, N.M. – The City of Grants did not hold a municipal election Tuesday, March 3, despite the day being New Mexico’s municipal election day for many cities and towns and despite language in the Grants City Charter that sets regular municipal elections for March of even-numbered years.
The missed election has triggered lawsuits which are expected to proceed in court.
In a phone call early Tuesday morning, Grants City Clerk Frances “Fran” Salas confirmed that Grants would not conduct a municipal election on March 3 and cited the city’s “opt-in” actions to move municipal officer elections to the consolidated November “regular local election.”
Salas referenced Ordinance 23-1274, adopted March 29, 2023, as the basis for Grants not holding an election Tuesday, and also pointed to a second ordinance, Ordinance 23-1276, adopted June 7, 2023.
What the Charter Says
The Grants City Charter states that “the regular municipal election shall be held on the first Tuesday in March of each even-numbered year.”
The charter also states that the New Mexico Municipal Election Code applies, “except to the extent” it conflicts with the charter, “in which case the Charter shall govern.”
Changing the Election Dates
In 2023, at the behest of the New Mexico Secretary of State, the Grants City Council decided to change the dates and timing of their elections and extended the terms for two city councilors and the mayor.
In March 2023, the Grants City Council passed Ordinance 23-1274 which formally opted the city into holding municipal officer elections during the November regular local election. The ordinance also included term adjustments to shift Grants onto the new schedule, including a provision stating that municipal officers whose terms would have ended in 2026 would serve through Dec. 31, 2027 – Mayor Erik Garcia, Councilor George Garcia, and Councilor Beverly Michael – with the next election for those positions held in November 2027 and new terms beginning Jan. 1, 2028.
Ordinance 23-1276, approved by Grants City Council in June 2023, states it amends the charter’s elections section and presents an “either/or” structure: participating in March municipal officer elections or opting into November regular local elections.
Salas said many municipalities across the state no longer hold elections in March as they have opted in to the state’s November elections.
Efforts to Fix Charter Stalled The election dispute comes amid broader concerns about the condition of the city charter and the city’s ability to update it.
A Grants City Charter Committee was convened in 2023 but fell apart in 2024. In 2025, questions emerged about whether any finalized committee work could be recovered, but the computer used to store materials was corrupted and the data was lost, according to officials familiar with the effort. No charter revision has been adopted since.
Lawsuits Challenge City Election Schedule
Former Grants Mayor Martin Hicks has filed two separate lawsuits against the City of Grants to address the challenges with the charter.
A case filed Feb. 18, 2026 – D-1333-CV-202600054 – seeks declaratory and injunctive relief and asks the court for a writ of mandamus to compel the City to hold the municipal election that Hicks argues is required by the Grants Home Rule Charter.
In that petition, Hicks alleges that the City adopted ordinances in 2023 that attempted to move municipal elections from the Charter-mandated March schedule to November without voter approval, and that the City then refused to conduct the March 2026 election. The petition asks for expedited court review and seeks an order requiring the City to schedule and conduct the March 2026 election, among other relief. The defendants listed in the Feb. 18 case include the City of Grants, councilors Beverly Michael, Fred Rodarte, and George Garcia, and City Clerk Frances Salas, along with “Does 1–10.”
Hicks also filed an earlier case on Dec. 30, 2025 – D-1333-CV-2025000354 – which court records show was later amended in February 2026 to address whether Dolores Vallejos actually lives on Davis Street or somewhere else and to address the fact Grants City Charter says elected city councilors cannot hold other elected office while on council and Vallejos is the current Cibola County Assessor; the lawsuit was amended at the end of February asking the court to address the City’s November municipal election in which Vallejos was elected. In that case, the City of Grants and multiple city officials are listed as defendants, including Vallejos in her official capacity. Court records show service returns filed Feb. 26, 2026, for multiple defendants.
Grants Council Meets March 11
Grants City Council is scheduled to meet March 11 to discuss election qualification questions related to Councilor Dolores Vallejos, who was elected during the city’s November 2025 election. That discussion is expected to include questions about domicile and dual-office holding but the agenda weren’t ready as of press deadline.