Photo at right of pollwatchers and poll workers in the County Clerk's office on Thursday.(Photo by Mary Alice Murphy)

Photo at left below of Clerk Zamarripa smiling the day after the recount.(Photo by Roger Lanse) 

By Roger Lanse

Grant County Clerk's staff and poll workers spent all day Thursday, Dec. 11, and well into the evening, recounting votes cast for Public Lands Commissioner in the November 4, 2014 election. The New Mexico Secretary of State's webpage shows the spread between the candidates, Aubrey Dunn (Rep) and Ray Powell (Dem), was 704 votes of a total of 499,666 cast, or .14 percent, 250,185 for Dunn and 249,481 for Powell.

According to Grant County Clerk Robert Zamarripa, this was the first time a recount has been ordered in a statewide New Mexico election – ever. In 2008 and before, if a candidate in a statewide election contested the vote tally and wanted a recount, that candidate had to foot the bill. Since 2008, if the margin between two candidates is less than one-half of one percent of the total votes cast, an automatic recount is required. However, the recount law does not apply to local elections and a local candidate seeking a recount must pay for it. Zamarippa estimated this statewide recount cost about $3 million.

While official numbers statewide may not be available until Dec. 19, or so, as the election cannot be closed until the lands commissioner race is settled, Zamarripa told The Beat that, unofficially, Grant County's recount numbers for public lands commissioner were identical to the numbers reported after the November 4 election.

Recounting the approximate 9,000 votes cast in Grant County for public lands commissioner required five staff from the clerk's office and 19 poll workers from 7:45 a.m. until after 9 p.m. Zamarippa said the funds for the county's participation in the statewide recount came from the county's general fund, but will be reimbursed by the state for the poll workers wages, but not for the clerk's staff time.