Drug-tainted absentee ballots cleared, every vote will count in Sandoval County

By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. — Sandoval County voters whose absentee ballots got caught up in a drug scare at the county’s election warehouse can stop worrying. Every one of those votes will count.

County Clerk Anne Brady-Romero announced that the ballots involved in the Oct. 16 incident are clear and none will be spoiled, meaning none will be thrown out. Investigators analyzed the ballots and found them safe to handle, she said in a county release.

Election workers found drugs on the ballots after they arrived at the Bureau of Elections warehouse in a U.S. Postal Service mail container. Initial tests flagged methamphetamine and fentanyl. Local, state and federal authorities responded, and no county employees or poll workers were exposed.

The county’s Absentee Ballot Board will now fold the ballots back into the count. Brady-Romero credited the Bureau of Elections’ security protocol with protecting both workers and ballots.

Voters can still mail absentee ballots, drop them at a polling location or use the county’s secure drop boxes before polls close on Election Day, Nov. 3.

Vote safely in Sandoval County:

• Sandoval County Clerk: sandovalcountynm.gov
• Track your absentee ballot: voterportal.servis.sos.state.nm.us
• Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3

Reported by The Paper. in Rio Rancho

This report is published by The Paper. in Rio Rancho, the local Rio Rancho edition of The Paper. Both publications are local newsrooms of The New Mexico News.

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