A Republican-led New Mexico county commission voted not to certify any primary votes in response to conspiracy theories about voting machines, The Associated Press reports.
The three-member Otero County Commission, which is led by “Cowboys for Trump” co-founder Couy Griffin, voted against certifying the results of last week’s primary contests in the deep-red county over unspecified concerns about Dominion voting machines.
The commission instead voted to recount ballots by hand in violation of state law, remove state-mandated drop boxes in the county, and remove all Dominion machines ahead of the general election.
“The election law does not allow me to hand tally these ballots or to even form a board to do it. I just can’t,” said Republican County Clerk Robyn Holmes. “And I’m going to follow the law.”
Griffin was previously convicted of illegally entering the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6.
Dominion conspiracy:
Former President Donald Trump’s allies have pushed repeatedly debunked claims that Dominion machines flipped votes from Trump to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
“I have huge concerns with these voting machines,” Otero County Commissioner Vickie Marquardt said Monday. “When I certify stuff that I don’t know is right, I feel like I’m being dishonest because in my heart I don’t know if it is right.”
Marquardt laughed that the idea that a court might intervene.
“And so then what? They’re going to send us to the pokey?” she said.
Court fight:
Democratic Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Olive asked the state Supreme Court to force the county to certify its results.
“The post-election canvassing process is a key component of how we maintain our high levels of election integrity in New Mexico and the Otero County Commission is flaunting that process by appeasing unfounded conspiracy theories and potentially nullifying the votes of every Otero County voter who participated in the primary,” she said in a statement.
