New Mexico ethics commission alleges elections official deleted, mishandled midterm ballots

A New Mexico ethics commission accused a local elections official of deleting and mishandling midterm ballots, along with other misconduct, in a complaint filed on Tuesday.

According to the state ethics commission, Torrance County Clerk Yvonne Otero “dramatically failed” to comply with government conduct laws, using her elected office for “her own personal benefit and to pursue personal interests.” 

Otero allegedly deleted a significant number of unopened and unread emails in October 2022, including two ballots that were cast electronically via the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voters Act. 

The emails also included information from the New Mexico secretary of state about procedures and timelines for the then-upcoming 2022 midterm election.

Otero also reportedly presigned certifications for 22 ballot tabulators without any inspection because she was going to be on vacation in Las Vegas during the inspections.

She appeared to threaten an employee who questioned a timesheet prepared by her mother, who was working as a presiding judge for absentee ballots in late spring 2022, with Otero reminding the employee that she signed off on their timesheets.

Otero also allegedly solicited narcotic drugs from a subordinate employee and made several references to using drugs, held intimate engagements in her office during work hours, discharged a Taser beside the head of an employee as a “joke” and gave her brother a Torrance County laptop for personal use.