Remember who is administering the election

By Merilee Dannemann

Four years ago, county commissioners in Otero County caused a minor national embarrassment for New Mexico by refusing to certify the primary election. One commissioner claimed he had proof. With no reason given, he didn’t trust the voting machines. Eventually, threatened with legal action including possible criminal penalties, two of the three commissioners gave in and provided the necessary certification. 

I have been reviewing news reports about that incident and the allegations of alleged fraud in the election, to find the follow-up reports offering evidence of fraud. There aren’t any. Apparently there were no follow-up investigations. Maybe because there wasn’t fraud, and maybe those commissioners knew it all along. 

Gerald Matherly, one of those commissioners, commented that he gave up because their actions were causing hardship for local officials who, in his opinion, won the election fairly. Matherly did not explain how he reached the conclusion that some results were honest and others in the same election were not. If he ever said which election results he did not trust, it was not reported.

He himself was on the ballot in that election and won re-nomination to his own commission seat. Apparently he did not question the honesty of his own result. Today he is still on the commission but not on the ballot for another term.

Here’s something else that was not discussed in the news coverage. The election in Otero County was, like the election in every other county, administered by the county clerk – a local official who had been elected by the same voters in the same community as the commissioners who were accusing some unnamed outside villain of committing fraud. 

Whatever those commissioners were alleging, they did not accuse their own county clerk of perpetrating election fraud. And, thank goodness, the whole controversy was conducted without violence.  

Early voting has started in New Mexico. 

Our state has 33 counties and 33 county clerks. Those clerks, elected by their neighbors, are running the election, with the help of their staffs and cadres of temporary employees, likely the same temporary employees who have done these jobs in previous elections. 

As we voters head to our local precinct or early voting center, they may have already completed testing the voting machines to make sure the machines are accurate, they have maintained the voting rolls so that every legally registered voter can vote but nobody can vote twice, they have plans to safeguard the paper ballots, and they are ready to do the other detailed tasks prescribed by law to ensure that our elections are fairly and competently run.  Some of them are prepared to stay up as late as necessary to deliver or receive deliveries from far-flung precincts.

Some New Mexico county clerks are Republican and some are Democrats. I have never heard an allegation that any New Mexico county clerk handled the myriad tasks of the election in a politically biased manner, and I don’t expect to hear any such allegation this year. 

I expect the 33 clerks and their numerous employees to do their jobs with honor and dignity as they always have.

This year, we are hearing President Trump spout accusations that the midterm will be corrupt. After repeated accusations, he still has offered no evidence.

If you are inclined to distrust the election, please remember that it’s being run by a county clerk whom you probably voted for.

In Otero County, the Election Day voting machines are being tested starting October 14, at the voting machine warehouse whose address is on the county government web site. You can probably go there and watch for yourself.

Merilee Dannemann’s columns are posted at www.triplespacedagain.com. Comments are invited through the web site.