Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Quay County Clerk Ellen White hands ballots to Nelda Burson as fellow election officials Sylvia Wampler (left) and Sally Maestas, along with District Judge Timothy Rose, perform a mandated recount Wednesday of District 6 from the Nov. 5 election.
A state-mandated audit last week of one voting precinct in Quay County in the Nov. 5 election confirmed the original ballot count was accurate.
Three election officials, County Clerk Ellen White, Deputy Clerk Veronica Manley and District Judge Timothy Rose presided over a hand recount Wednesday of 327 ballots cast in Quay County's Precinct 6, which is bordered by Highway 209 to the west, U.S. 54 to the north, the San Jon school district border to the east and the caprock to the south.
The New Mexico Secretary of State randomly picked Precinct 6 in the county to recount the results of federal races - president, U.S. senate and U.S. representative.
One election official read aloud the ballot markings on those races while three wrote them down on tally sheets. Totals were reviewed every 10 ballots.
After about 90 minutes, the officials' hand recount matched the count given by Dominion machines the night of Election Day.
"Nothing wrong ... just like always," White said at the conclusion of the count.
Alex Curtas, spokesman for the New Mexico Secretary of State, stated in an email that expanded, post-election audits have been in place since the 2023 election.
"It used to be that the post-election audits were just after every General Election, but now they occur after every statewide election, and every county has at least one precinct involved in the audit," Curtas wrote.
"The inclusion of more counties brings more accountability and transparency to the post-election audit process."
