Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron has taken a lot of heat lately for her decision to remove Democrat Jeff Armijo from the auditor race. The Republican Party is still considering a lawsuit challenging her decision.
A proposal she made Monday makes a lot of sense in such a politically charged climate.
Vigil-Giron wants to hire an outside auditor to prepare the statewide canvass of the Nov. 7 general election returns, according to an article from the Associated Press that you can read via the Albuquerque Journal. The canvass has traditionally been done by staffers in the secretary of state’s office, but later reviewed by an independent accountant, the news service reported.
Vigil-Giron is proposing the change in part because the state is moving to a paper-ballot system.
“Moving to a new system, we just want to make sure that everything is done correctly,” Vigil-Giron’s spokesman, Ray Baray, told the news service. “The secretary just wants there to be transparency in this election.”
He also said an independent canvasser would ensure there are “no politics whatsoever” influencing the work.
Vigil-Giron is asking the state Board of Finance for $200,000 to hire an auditing firm. The board will consider the request today. Baray told the news service the auditor would be selected through a competitive bidding process.
This should help allay concerns of the Republican Party, but I doubt it will quell them entirely. They’re pretty upset about the