New Mexico county refuses to certify primary results

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A three-member GOP commission has refused to certify the results of the June 7 primary election in Otero County, New Mexico, prompting New Mexico's secretary of state to sue them in the state's Supreme Court.

Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, asked the court on Tuesday to order the county commission to recognize the votes, per the Associated Press.

The commission had on June 9 cited concerns with the Dominion vote-tabulating machines used in the election, though it didn't specify the exact issue, the outlet reported.

According to Alamogordo Daily News, the commission's members asked that all the ballots cast using Dominion machines be recounted manually and that all ballot drop boxes allowing for absentee voting be removed. Per the outlet, the commission also requested that the Dominion tabulators not be used until the November midterm elections.

These instructions have introduced a standoff that could delay the upcoming local general elections as the Republican county clerk responded by refusing to hand count the votes, per the AP. A court order is required for a manual recount to be conducted.

I have huge concerns with these voting machines," Vickie Marquardt, a member of the commission, said Monday, per the AP. "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."

Trump won Otero County in 2020 with 62% of the vote, up from 58% in 2016. Yet the debunked claims of fraud persist, becoming an article of faith among some Republican voters.

Couy Griffin, a commission member and leader of the "Cowboys for Trump" group, said he raised his concerns about the Dominion machines because he was representing the "will of the people." No commissioner cited specific irregularities or other concerns.

In a statement provided to Insider, a spokesperson for the firm said the developments in Otero County were "yet another example of how lies about Dominion have damaged our company and diminished the public's faith in elections."