The Otero County Commission voted 2-1, with one of the central figures in the refusal to certify the results, Commissioner Qui Griffin, voting “no”.
“Honestly, we have no choice,” said Commission Chairman Vicki Marquard before the vote, citing the possibility of fines and removal if the commission ignores a state Supreme Court order to certify primary results.
Griffin, who was convicted earlier Friday in Washington, D.C., of his role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, called the meeting and said his “feelings and intuition” told him to oppose this move. He also criticized what he called a “takeover of the state government”. New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, successfully requested an order from the state’s Supreme Court this week to enforce certification. The National Commission declined to confirm the results on Monday, citing concerns about Dominion voting machines and questions about a handful of individual votes in this month’s primary election.
Friday marked the deadline for New Mexico counties to certify the results.
“I am relieved that the Otero County Commission has finally done the right thing and fulfilled its obligation under New Mexico law to certify the free and fair results of the 2022 primary,” Oliver said in a statement. “Otero County voters and candidates who have duly won their primary election can now rest assured that their vote has been heard and that the general election can proceed as planned.”
This story has been broken and will be updated.
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