Post-Election Audit Board members in action Monday at the Municipal Building are. seated ;eft to right, Kristina Kershner, Tina Moore, Devon McCleskey, Norma Tech, Lesley Harelson, Alminda Brundyn, Kenneth Holmes, Lori Hinojosa, Barbara Calef, Diane M. Toups, Allison Collins andMary Wilhoit. Standing: Janet Michel.Post-Election Audit Members pictured above sitting L to R: Kristina Kershner, Tina Moore, Devon McCleskey, Norma Tech, Lesley Harelson, Alminda Brundyn, Kenneth Holmes, Lori Hinojosa, Barbara Calef, Diane M. Toups, Allison Collins, Mary Wilhoit; standing: Janet Michel. Photo Courtesy LAC Clerk’s Office
COUNTY NEWS
The Los Alamos County Clerk’s Office has completed the required accuracy check (Post-Election Audit) of the tabulators used in the November 3 General Election. Various precincts within counties throughout the State of New Mexico were selected for the purpose of having the county clerks manually recount the votes directly from the paper ballots in the precincts selected for the following races: 1) U.S. President and Vice-President, 2) U.S. Senator, 3) U.S. Representative, District 2, and 4) NM Court of Appeals – Position 3.
Some of the counties selected will recount all these races but others will only recount some of them. On November 20, the County by the firm of Robert J. Rivera, CPA, PC, that Precinct 11 was randomly selected for the voting system check with regard to the U.S. President and Vice-President; U.S. Senator; and NM Court of Appeals Position 3 races. As required by law, Clerk Naomi Maestas appointed election workers to serve on the post-election audit board and the post-election audit was conducted Monday in Council Chambers at the Municipal Building.
The board consisted of Jan Michel, Mary Wilhoit, Tina Moore, Allison Collins, Alminda Brundyn, Barbara Calef, Devon McCleskey, Diane M. Toups, Kenneth Holmes, Kristina Kershner, Lesley Harelson, Lori Hinojosa and Norma Tech. Also in attendance were Clerk Naomi Maestas, Elections Manager Steve Fresquez, Chief Deputy Clerk Adrianna Ortiz and Senior Deputy Clerk Victoria Martinez.
The post-election audit uses a statistical method to check the accuracy of the vote tabulators used during the General Election by comparing a hand count of select precincts to the machine tabulated results. During the post-election audit process, the board reviewed, hand-tallied and verified the accuracy of the results for Precinct 11, with regard to the U.S. President and Vice-President; U.S. Senator; and NM Court of Appeals Position 3 races, for the early, absentee and election day tabulators. The post-election audit results proved to be an exact match between the machine tapes and the results hand-tallied. Clerk Maestas said “verifying the totals tabulated by the machines against those hand tallied by the board today, is vital in ensuring the accuracy of elections and helping to restore public confidence in the process.”
These results will be sent to the accounting firm of Robert J. Rivera, CPA, PC, and the New Mexico Secretary of State as required by law. The results will be made available on the County Clerk webpage: www.losalamosnm.us/clerk. For more information, call (505) 662-8010 or email http://clerks@lacnm.us.