Sunland Park vote-fraud probe expands

Associated Press

Updated: Jun 27, 2012 2:50 PM

LAS CRUCES (AP) — A judge has ordered the Dona Ana County Clerk's Office to comb through the early voting and absentee ballots of a troubled New Mexico border city's municipal elections.

The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that county officials said Tuesday that they will comply with District Court Judge Manuel Arrieta's order but don't expect to find additional illegitimate ballots following investigations from a number of state and federal agencies into Sunland Park's March elections.

Former Sunland Park mayoral candidate Gerardo Hernandez is appealing the official election results in which he lost by 84 votes to Daniel Salinas, who never took his oath of office because of pending extortion charges , among others.

Arrieta requested the review of the early and absentee ballots to see if the results could change the election's outcome.

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