San Juan County Clerk's Office finishes recounts, audits with no discrepancies reported

A state-mandated recount of ballots in three close San Juan County races has confirmed the original results, San Juan County Clerk Tanya Shelby says, and a subsequent audit of ballots from seven precincts scattered throughout the county did not turn up any discrepancies.

The recounts and audits were conducted last week in the wake of the Tuesday, Nov. 7 election. A trio of races — the District 5 seat on the San Juan College Board of Trustees, the District 2 seat on the Central Consolidated School District Board of Education and the mill levy question for the Aztec Municipal School District — were close enough to trigger an automatic recount, as ordered by the New Mexico State Canvass Board on Nov. 28.

Shelby said Dec. 7 the ballot recounts her staff conducted earlier in the week of the three close races showed there were no discrepancies between those tallies and the ones compiled in the immediate aftermath of the election, meaning the initial results withstood scrutiny. The new results will be sent to the State Canvass Board, which will meet on Dec. 12 to verify the results of all the recounted races in the state, she said.

According to the original results and the recounts, Beverly Taylor, with 866 votes, edged Judy Hale, who had 859 votes, in the San Juan College Board race. Taylor said Dec. 8 she was glad the process was over and that she looks forward to joining the institution’s governing body.

“I’m elated that the (seven) votes survived and thrilled to be able to serve San Juan College,” she said.

Taylor, the wife of former Farmington mayor and state lawmaker Tom Taylor, said one thing struck her about the college when she was campaigning for the position.

“I found so many people whose lives had been changed by San Juan College or their children’s lives had been changed,” she said. “And every response from them was positive, which has to remind us all how important that college is to our community.”

In the CCSD school board race, the original and recounted results show incumbent Gary Montoya defeated challenger Hoskie Benally Jr. 357 votes to 355 votes.

“Knowing how this process occurs and as close as it was, I really wasn’t too concerned,” Montoya said of the recount. “I didn’t think they were going to expect to find any discrepancies. It was a matter of just waiting on the process to occur.”

Montoya said he was pleased with the results.

“I just appreciate the constituents of the second district to give me another opportunity, no matter how close it was, whether it was two votes or 10 or 100,” he said.

The recount also confirmed the original result of the Aztec schools mill levy question, which was defeated by a margin of 701 votes against and 697 votes in favor.

Shelby said representatives of the candidates in the two board races were on hand to observe the recounts. The candidates and Aztec school board officials were notified of the results when the recounts were completed.

An audit of the seven randomly chosen San Juan County precincts ordered by a contractor for the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office began on the morning of Dec. 7 and was completed that afternoon, Shelby said. Those results also confirmed the original results, she said.

All the tally sheets and other materials used in the recounts and audits will be forwarded to state officials, Shelby said. She said the fact that no discrepancies were found during the recount and audit processes was a positive reflection on the reliability of elections in San Juan County.

“It’s our staff, and it’s our system and it’s our poll workers,” Shelby said.

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com.Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Bev Taylor, Gary Montoya win in San Juan County election recount