ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (KRQE) – The Otero County Clerk’s Office reported a possible case of voter fraud earlier this month. County Clerk Robyn Holmes reported a woman came into the office to inform them she had been receiving applications for mail-in ballots for her deceased ex-husband.
The woman’s ex-husband had died in March of 2019 in Oregon. Based on what the clerk’s office received, it was discovered that the deceased person’s voting history included an absentee ballot in their name for the April 2019 Special Election. Since it appeared that the Clerk’s Office had received a ballot from a person who was deceased, they reported the incident to the DA’s office.
DA investigators learned that because the election in April of 2019 was not a federal election, the clerk’s office was not required by law to maintain the ballots and the ballots had been destroyed. Because of that, they were not able to produce the absentee ballot submitted in the deceased individual’s name.
Records from the clerk’s office showed that the woman and her current husband voted by absentee ballot in the April 2019 election but she denied they even voted in that election. There is no way to determine who submitted the ballots for the deceased ex-husband, the woman, or the current husband since the ballots were destroyed. If anyone has evidence of voter fraud or information related to this case, they are asked to contact DA Investigator Kyle Graham at (575) 437-+3640.
