Ballot audit set for today

PORTALES — Shonnie Standefer is on a mission – to make sure everyone’s vote counts.

That’s why she’s planning to audit ballots today from Roosevelt County’s 2020 presidential election.

Her primary concern is not with the accuracy of Roosevelt County’s election results, she said. It’s with the larger counties in New Mexico.

“Most of us are not concerned about Roosevelt County,” Standefer said. “The election turned out about what we believe Roosevelt County looks like.”

Roosevelt County Clerk Mandi Park said last week the audit is scheduled for 9 a.m. today in a room in the courthouse basement.

She said Standefer submitted the request to conduct the audit on behalf of Erin Clements, a Dona Ana county resident. Clements is connected to a company called EchoMail that also has interest in an Otero County audit as well as the Maricopa County audit of the 2020 election in Arizona.

Park said because the county will not provide the citizen auditors with paper or digital files, there is no cost to taxpayers. County personnel will be present while the citizen auditors, using their own scanner, scan images of the ballots to compare to tapes they recorded earlier.

Park said she has told Standefer that other members of the public have asked if they will be allowed to watch so there may be others attending, “as it is their right.”

Stadefer said she believes other counties need to take ownership of their balloting.

She said when more counties join in conducting audits, “hopefully it will put pressure on all counties to conduct an election audit.”

Standefer said the group planning to help her audit the election today does not have a name. She described a number of like-minded Roosevelt Countians “who believe our country is a mess. It’s time to come back to making sure everything is legitimate in our county.”

Standefer said she and a number of other area residents held an event at the Roosevelt County courthouse and “called on the county to have a covenant with God,” Standefer said. “We’ve been inspired by the words of Steve Friskup of Muleshoe.”

Friskup is a minister whose Facebook page features regular sermons he calls “Coffee with the Colonel.” Standefer described Friskup as an inspirational speaker.

Standefer hopes other counties will take ownership of their balloting.

“If you’re sure there’s nothing wrong in your own county, you should welcome an audit,” she said.

She said she is concerned with a lawsuit recently filed by New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver compelling Otero County commissioners to certify the June 7 primary in that county.

“It bothers me,” she said. “It highly concerns me that she would use her authority to file a lawsuit.  It’s overreach to me.”

Standefer said the main reason she got involved in an audit is “We’ve lost our country and we’re all sitting on the sidelines.

“We’ve got to get involved. “If we don’t have our elections, if our votes don’t count, we’ve lost our country.”

Tate Turnbough, chair of the Democratic Party of Roosevelt County, said he sees no rationale for the audit.

“It seems to me like they have a serious case of paranoia,” he said.

While those pushing for the audit claim they have no faith in the Dominion voting machines, those same voting machines “gave them victory in Congressional District 2” for Yvette Herrell over Xochitl Torres Small along with what he called “a resounding victory” in the county for Donald Trump over Joe Biden.

Turnbough calls the voting system of the United States “an extremely fragile part of our construct.” Once broken it would be hard to put back together, he said.

Turnbough said he believes when an election is lost you don’t try to destroy the system.

“You fight harder next time and try to get your ideas and what you believe out there,” Turnbough said.

Turnbough said he believes the citizen audit will show what all past audits have shown: There was no fraud, no tampering with ballots and no different outcome of the election.