Citing concerns about the way last week’s primary election was run and past election snafus, the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners plans to set up an independent, non-partisan task force to review the operations of the county elections bureau.
Commissioners were scheduled at a meeting today to certify the election results. Elections head Mari Langford informed them that the canvass wasn’t complete because the last information her office needed arrived from the secretary of state’s office only this morning.
That elicited much criticism from commissioners.
“We always, always, always seem to be behind everybody else,” Commissioner Bill McCamley said. “I don’t know who’s to blame. I don’t know, specifically, what we can do.”
Langford responded by telling the commission that the county is not behind others. She’s right, according to state Elections Director Ernie Marquez. Off the state’s 33 counties, only three, small counties have submitted canvassed results to the state, and results aren’t due for several more days.
“By far, you guys are not late,” he said. “We have not received any big counties at all.”
Concerns were raised at the meeting about other issues. Two commissioners, Paul Curry and Kent Evans, said they were contacted by people who tried to vote last week only to find their precincts had been moved.
“I’ve got a lot of calls, and a lot of problems, and a lot of moves,” Evans said. “We’ve got to do something about it.”
Commission Chairwoman Dolores Saldaña-Caviness suggested the task force.
“To me, this is unacceptable,” she said.
Though last week’s election went more smoothly than some others in recent years, the county’s elections bureau carries a lot of baggage. Then-County Clerk Ruben Ceballos was forced from office several years ago after being convicted of elections violations. He was given a deferred, five year sentence, so the conviction will eventually be erased from his record if he stays out of trouble.
And a mathematical error in the county in 2000 resulted in George Bush mistakenly being declared early on the winner of the state’s five electoral votes. Discovery of the mistake shifted the victory to Al Gore.
Commissioners plan to meet again Friday to certify the election results and finalize creation of the task force.
In order to be considered for appointment to the task force, residents must be registered voters in Doña Ana County and hand deliver a letter of interest and resume to the Doña Ana County Government Center on Motel Boulevard by noon on Friday.