Recounts and results: Board certifies election

SANTA FE — The elections are over, for the most part, but that doesn’t mean the political season is over. Election results are getting certified, recounts are triggering and one of New Mexico’s major Republican voices announces her new path.

NM District 57 heading for a recountSANTA FE — The New Mexico State Canvass Board, the committee that certifies state election results, announced an automatic recount for two New Mexico elections.

One is a recount for District 57 state representative. The race, which had 16,618 New Mexicans casting their votes, finished with a 130-vote difference between the winner, Republican Catherine Jeanette Cullen (8,374 votes) and the Democrat Michelle Eleanor Sandoval (8,244 votes). Both garnered 50% of the vote, according to the New Mexico Secretary of State’s election night results.

The incumbent District 57 representative is Jason Harper, who has served in his seat since 2013.

The second election heading for a recount is for Los Alamos County commissioner (at large).

According to New Mexico election law, an automatic recount is triggered when the margin between the two candidates is less than “.25%, .5%, or 1%, depending on the race.”

The next scheduled State Canvass Board meeting to certify the automatic recount results is Dec. 16.

State Canvass Board certifies resultsAnother order of business on the table for the New Mexico State Canvass Board was the certification of the general election results.

The Board met in Santa Fe Nov. 25 and unanimously certified the results of the 2024 general election.

The State Canvass Board is composed of the governor, secretary of state and chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court.

“The 2024 general election was run with efficiency and integrity by the state’s election administrators, and every New Mexican should have the highest level of confidence in these official election results,” said Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver in a news release.

The news release also contained voter turnout numbers.

Total registered voters eligible to participate in this election: 1,382,761

Total voter turnout: 928,290 (67.13%)

Absentee turnout: 111,403 (12%)

Early voting turnout: 556,281 (59.93%)

Election Day turnout: 252,515 (27.20%)

Hand tally/provisional: 8,091 (0.87%)

Use of same-day voter registration (early voting and Election Day): 52,358

Election Day SDR transactions: 25,485

For more information, visit sos.nm.gov.

Barela announces candidacy for

leadershipAmy Barela, longtime Otero County Commissioner and First Vice Chair of the Republican Party of New Mexico (RPNM) recently announced her candidacy for the new chair of the RPNM in a new release Tuesday morning.

“With a deep commitment to advancing freedom and individual liberty, Amy has dedicated her time building the mission of the Republican Party and serving the people of New Mexico,” said the release.

Barela is seeking the top position currently held by former Congressman Steve Pearce.

“Now, more than ever, we must fight for New Mexicans — defending their constitutional rights, supporting our legislators in their efforts to combat out-of-control crime, and ensuring that law enforcement has the support they need,” Barela said in the news release. “We must also bring awareness to the challenges New Mexicans face, including the state of our schools, rising prices and the health care crisis. These are New Mexican issues, and addressing them starts with voting differently to bring real change to our state.”

Barela says she is hoping to help all New Mexicans, but the job is more focused on growing the RPNM with an eye toward long-term policy change.

“My job is to grow the Republican Party so we can achieve monumental victories across New Mexico,” she said. “Together, we can preserve faith, family and freedom for future generations.”

The RPNM chair serves a two-year term.