Conspiracies plague vote certification as crowds rage

The 4-1 vote to certify the election by a Republican- dominated commission in Sandoval County was nearly drowned out by jeers of opposition in a divided audience. Commissioner Jay Block — a failed Republican primary candidate for governor in the June 7 vote — noted his opposition to hoots of approval and applause. “It is imperative that we are presented with a complete set of facts” about the election, Block said.

There is no evidence of widespread fraud or manipulation of voting equipment that could have affected the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, and no such fraud has surfaced in this year’s midterms. To underscore the accuracy of election results, another Sandoval County commissioner read to the audience the findings of an audit that compared the votes recorded by the county’s tabulating machines in 2020 with a sampling of the actual paper ballots. The difference was just a fraction of 1% in the races for president, U.S. Senate and other offices — “almost insignificant,”

Republican commissioner David Heil said. Certifying elections by typically under-the-radar local commissions has been a routine ministerial task for decades that has become politicized since former President Donald Trump sought to undermine the process following his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. A rural, heavily Republican county in New Mexico — Otero County — thrust the issue into the spotlight this week when its commission said it would not certify the local results from the June 7 primary because of concerns over Dominion voting systems, even though there was no evidence of problems. That came despite the county elections clerk saying the primary voting had been safe and secure.

Otero County Clerk Robyn Holmes, a Republican in her fourth term as the county’s lead elections administrator, told The Associated Press that the June 7 election was conducted without problems. Machine tallies at 16 voting centers each matched the number of ballots that were handed out. “The primary went off without a hitch,” she said. “It was a great election.”

During an emergency meeting Friday, Otero County commissioners opted 2-1 to certify the primary election results. The two commssioners who voted to certify said they had no choice under state law, adding they could have faced fines, criminal charges and possible removal from office if they refused to do so. “If we get removed, nobody’s going to be fighting for the ranches,” said Otero County Commissioner Vickie Marquardt.

The New Mexico Supreme Court earlier this week ordered Otero County to sign off on the election results after Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, asked it to intervene. Attorney General Hector Balderas, also a Democrat, then threatened more legal action if the Republican-dominated commission did not comply with the law.

Couy Griffin, the lone Otero County Commission member to vote against certifying the election results, participated remotely in the meeting by telephone after being sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., to 14 days behind bars, which he has already served. He had been convicted of entering restricted U.S. Capitol grounds — though not the building — during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Griffin said his “no” vote was based on gut feelings and “intuition” the election results were flawed. He also criticized top state officials for their aggressive handling of the matter. “We really need to wake up to the overreach of state government,” Griffin said.

The passionate showdown provided a stark example of the chaos that election experts have warned about as those who promote the lie that Trump was cheated out of reelection seek to populate election offices across the country and the usually low-profile boards that certify the results. New Mexico’s primary ballot included races at all levels — including Congress, governor, attorney general and a long list of local offices. Those races aren’t official until all counties are certified, which leaves candidates and their campaigns in limbo.

The developments can be traced to far-right conspiracy theories over voting machines that have spread across the country over the past two years. Various Trump allies have claimed that Dominion voting systems had somehow been manipulated as part of an elaborate scheme to steal the election, which Biden won. Dominion has filed several defamation lawsuits, including against Fox News, and in a statement earlier this week said the action by the Otero County commissioners was “yet another example of how lies about Dominion have damaged our company and diminished the public’s faith in elections.”

Election officials outside New Mexico are taking notice. The Secretary of State’s Office said Friday it has been flooded with calls from officials concerned that certification controversies will become a new front in the attacks on democratic norms and could affect future elections, especially in 2024.