Midterm election results move toward certification as ballot canvassing continues in Doña Ana County

LAS CRUCES – Election Day was Nov. 8 and most have seen the unofficial results, but the 2022 general election is far from over.

Ballot canvassing started Wednesday, Nov. 9. Lindsey Bachman, chief deputy Doña Ana County Clerk, said the process is “like a built-in audit of the election. It occurs after every election that we have in New Mexico.”

She explained that the audit starts with a general review of all the polling sites, then it is broken down by precinct. There are 190 precincts in Doña Ana County and Bachman said election workers are already working on checking each one.

Friday, Nov. 18, the audited results of the midterm election will be presented before the Board of County Commissioners for certification. The process has been going well so far, she said, with no issues out of the ordinary.

“This is just one of those things that help make sure that everything went well. It’s built into the process. We’re used to doing it and it just helps affirm that everybody’s vote was counted the it should have been,” Bachman said.

There is also a statewide canvass which will occur Nov. 29. Bachman said the state level board will review the audited results from each county. It is at this point when recounts may be called.

The State Canvassing Board is made up by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver and New Mexico Supreme Court Chief Justice C. Shannon Bacon.

One race in Doña Ana County could result in a recount — the House District 32 race between Republican Jenifer Jones and incumbent Democrat Candie Sweetser. Luna County makes up a majority of this district, with Hidalgo and Doña Ana counties rounding it out.

Sweetser, down by 45 votes in the unofficial count, conceded the race to Jones last week.

“Likely, there will be a recount requested by the state for that race and we’ll be included in that, although our portion is very small,” Bachman said.

She added that any recounts will likely occur during the first half of December.

There will also be rechecks on various ballot machines across the state to ensure they worked properly during the election. Bachman explained that an auditor at the state level randomly chooses precincts throughout the state and typically a few Doña Ana County precincts are included.

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Leah Romero is the trending reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News and can be reached at 575-418-3442, LRomero@lcsun-news.com or @rromero_leah on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Election results move toward certification as ballot canvassing continues