Way down the Nov. 4 ballot you'll find what have become regular features of voting in New Mexico: constitutional amendments and tax/bond questions.

Some are as sensible as they are overdue. Others are, to put it mildly, bad. Still others are of little interest to many parts of our state. But the state constitution, by now such a mess that it begs for a convention to rewrite it, demands statewide votes on issues many New Mexicans couldn't care less about.

Take this year's Amendment No. 1 — increasing the size of the Albuquerque school board from seven to nine members. The same amendment would allow for mail-in balloting for school elections in the Duke City. That might be a good idea, but it shouldn't be lumped together with the boost in the board's size. To the extent that anyone else in the state should care, we'd say vote against.

Amendment No. 2 would allow for midterm salary increases for county officers — such as sheriff, assessor, clerk, treasurer, surveyor and probate judge. It also allows county commissioners to withhold pay raises if they think, or maybe imagine, that those other officials aren't doing their jobs.

Just think of the mischief county-level politicians could do with this amendment — and vote against.

Amendment 3 also has movida — or movidita — written all over it: The proposal is to require Senate reconfirmation of the governor's Cabinet secretaries at the beginning of each gubernatorial term. Our governors get only two terms, so this would apply to a re-elected one.

This is nuts: The buck stops with the governor — and if he or she is re-elected, chances are that the voters like the job being done. Cabinet choices are the executive's prerogative. If the Senate couldn't find a reason to reject those choices the first time around, too bad; let a less-than-sharp or ethically challenged secretary hang from the governor's neck like the dead albatross of poetic lore, and vote against this amendment.

Amendment 4, on the other hand, is a really good one: It would allow school elections to be held the same day as nonpartisan general elections. This should save school districts money — but more important, it turns that sneaky early-winter balloting for board members and bonds into bigger-turnout elections. We heartily recommend a vote for this amendment.

Amendment 5 would provide for replacement of the lieutenant governor in case of a vacancy in that office. The position would be filled by the governor.

But how great an emergency is a vacant lieutenant governorship? When he or she is unable to preside over the Senate, there's a president pro tempore, chosen by the Senate, on hand to do that job for a month or two a year. As for succeeding the governor if that were to be necessary, the constitution already has the replacements lined up. This amendment ought to be voted against.

The bond questions — state and county — are the usual mix of excellent projects and not-so-excellent, but with something for nearly everyone. That's how politicians and bureaucrats are able to get them approved, election in and election out.

On this year's ballot are:

u State Bond Question A: $14.7 million statewide for senior-citizen centers. We recommend a vote for.

u State Bond Question B: $11 million for library acquisitions. We recommend a vote for.

u State Bond Question C: $58 million for health facilities, including $17 million for the University of New Mexico Cancer Center. We recommend a vote for.

u State Bond Question D: $140 million to upgrade many of our state's college buildings, including an arts-and-cultural center at New Mexico State University. We recommend a vote for.

Tax consequences: Property taxes would be raised by about $15 per $100,000 of assessed value if all four questions are approved.

As for the county bond questions, positive responses won't increase property taxes, since existing bonds will be retired at the same time. We recommend votes for all six — for open space and parks; for road improvements; for fire-safety facilities, for water projects, for waste-transfer stations and for fairgrounds improvements.