ALBOOKER, New Mexico (AP) – Deep-rooted conspiracy theories about the safety of voting machines erupted in heated, angry and sometimes threatening outbursts on Friday when New Mexico counties decided whether to certify the results of their last primary election. the fact that officials are afraid portends darker times for the nation’s democracy.
In a politically conservative district, angry residents greeted their three commissioners with shouts and vitriols as they met to consider certification. While the visibly disappointed Torrance County commissioners said they would vote to prove their election, the audience shouted “Shame on you,” “cowards and traitors,” and “Who chose you?”
The commissioners called on the public to be patient and said concerns about alleged election vulnerabilities would eventually be addressed.
“The time and place to fight this battle is not by campaigning for this election,” President Ryan Schwebach told the crowd.
Certification of elections by normally unaffected local commissions has been a routine ministerial task for decades, politicized since former President Donald Trump tried to undermine the process after his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
A rural, highly Republican district in New Mexico put the issue in the spotlight this week when its commission said it would not validate local results from the June 7 primary because of concerns about Dominion’s voting systems, although there was no evidence of problems.
The controversy, which began in Otero County, erupted on Friday as commissions in the last of the state’s 33 counties met to decide whether to certify the results.
Passionate opposition has set a clear example of the chaos warned by election experts, as those who promote the lie that Trump was deceived in re-election seek to populate polling stations across the country and usually low-profile boards that certify results.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court of New Mexico ordered Otero County to sign the election results after the Democratic Secretary of State asked him to intervene. The attorney general, also a Democrat, then threatened more lawsuits if the Republican-dominated commission failed to comply with the law.
This may include accusing commissioners of possible violations of state election laws and government ethics, which can be a crime if the act is intentional and leads to dismissal.
At least one of the three Otero County commissioners was not concerned. Commissioner Qui Griffin told CNN he had no plans to vote for certification.
“Why have a commission if we are just repealed by the judiciary?” He said.
It was not immediately clear what would happen next if Otero and any other county refused to certify the results.
New Mexico’s main vote included competitions at all levels, including Congress, the governor, the attorney general, and a long list of local offices. These competitions will not be official until all counties have been certified, leaving candidates and their campaigns in the dark.
Developments can be traced back to far-right conspiracy theories about voting machines that have spread across the country over the past two years. Various allies of Trump claim that Dominion’s voting systems were somehow manipulated as part of a complex scheme to steal the election that Biden won.
There is no evidence of widespread fraud or manipulation of voting equipment that could affect the outcome of the 2020 elections.
Dominion has filed several defamation lawsuits, including against Fox News, and a statement earlier this week said Otero County Commissioners’ actions were “another example of how lies about Dominion have harmed our company and reduced faith.” to the public in elections. “
Election officials outside of New Mexico are paying attention. The secretary of state’s office said Friday that it was flooded with calls from officials concerned that certification disputes would become a new front in attacks on democratic norms and could affect future elections, especially in 2024.
Otero County Governor Robin Holmes, a Republican in her fourth term as the county’s chief election administrator, told the Associated Press that the June 7 election went smoothly. The machine counts in 16 polling stations corresponded to the number of ballots distributed.
“The first team went smoothly,” she said. “It was a great election.”
So far, all but three of the state’s 33 counties have certified their results, and no other county official has said publicly that he intends to vote against the certification.
Bernalilo County, which includes Albuquerque and is the most populous in the state, unanimously confirmed its results earlier Friday. Commissioners agreed that they saw no evidence of problems during the primary election, but Commissioner Walt Benson acknowledged that many people simply did not trust the system.
In Otero County, two of the three commissioners must vote in favor of certification.
Griffin was sentenced on Friday in the U.S. District Court in Washington, DC, to 14 days behind bars, which he is already serving. He was convicted of entering restricted areas of the US Capitol – though not the building – during the January 6 uprising.
U.S. election officials have notified the sentencing judge of Griffin’s refusal to certify the results of the primary election in New Mexico.
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Associated Press writers Christina Almeida Cassidy of Atlanta, Scott Soner of Reno, Nevada and Terry Tang of Phoenix contributed to the report.
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