John Block

State Supreme Court orders Otero County must certify primary election

On Wednesday, the New Mexico Supreme Court ordered a writ of mandamus against the Otero County Commission, forcing the Commission’s hand to certify the Jun 7, 2022, primary election results.

The Santa Fe New Mexican’s Daniel Chacón wrote on Twitter, “The state Supreme Court today issued a writ of mandamus against the Otero County Commission for certification of 2022 primary election returns.”

The Court ordered that the commission must “meet to approve the report of the canvass of the returns and declare the results.” The writ is below:

This came after the three-member board refused to certify the election, citing unspecified concerns regarding the use of Dominion tabulator machines. This prompted Democrat Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver to file a lawsuit in the high court.

She wrote in the lawsuit that refusal to certify “jeopardizes the general election ballot for all candidates.” 

A press release from Toulouse Oliver’s office announcing the lawsuit noted in addition to the lawsuit to compel the Otero County Commission’s compliance with the state elections code “[b]ecause of these violations of their oaths, the Secretary of State’s Office is also preparing a criminal referral to the New Mexico Attorney General related to these willful violations of the Election Code by county officers and their willful failure or refusal to perform their duties under the Election Code.”

If the county commissioners buck the high court’s order, it could begin a criminal referral to Attorney General Hector Balderas’ office.

Following the decision, election integrity expert David Clements wrote, “The decision amounts to a fundamental lack of due process. The Supreme Court did not address the Dominion Voting Systems’ noncompliance with the election code, and are doing nothing more than providing a rubber stamp on forced use of a machine designed to facilitate fraud. An order to certify an illegal election is no order at all.”

SOS Toulouse Oliver sues Otero County, threatens criminal referral to AG

On Monday, Otero County’s three-member commission refused to certify the canvass of last Tuesday’s primary election. The Commission cited no specific abnormalities but generally listed fraud related to Dominion machines as one of its reasons. The Commission also did not request to bring in members of the county canvass board to address specific concerns.

After the unsuccessful canvass, state Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto (D-Bernalillo), an attorney who lists himself as “Executive Director for New Mexico’s County Clerks” sent a threatening email to county commissioners across the state demanding they certify the election. Friday, June 17, is the deadline to certify the results of the canvass, per state statute, which cites ten days following the election.

He wrote:

“If Friday comes and goes and a County Canvassing Board hasn’t acted to approve the County Canvass Report, then has  County Canvassing Board is subject to a mandamus action. The standard for the mandamus action is if the Bard l as a clear and unambiguous duty, which I read in the election Code that they do. If, after a District Judge orders the Board to approve the County Canvass Report, then the Board would be in contempt of Court and the Judge would decide what to do with them (fines, loss of freedom, removal from office, etc…). We hope we don’t get to that point.” 

According to election integrity expert David Clements, New Mexico’s Dominion machine software is out of compliance with state statute, therefore triggering his call for county commissions not to approve the June 7, 2022, Primary Election results. Ivey-Soto refutes that in his email to commissioners, claiming they are certified.

Clements wrote regarding Ivey-Soto on Facebook, “According to an Ethics Complaint, Dominion’s favorite NM legislator, Senator Daniel Ivey-Soto, is the Executive Director of Vandelay Solutions, which provides ‘professional services’ in the administration of elections. His company entered into two contracts with Dona Ana County, for ‘Consulting Services’ and ‘Technical Assistance’ between September 2019 and June 2021 for  $37,500 and $45,000.  How is this not a conflict of interest?” Clements has branded Ivey-Soto as “Dominion’s favorite legislator” and noted his connections are a “conflict of interest.”

Then on Tuesday, Democrat Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver filed a lawsuit in the state Supreme Court against Otero County “seeking to compel the Otero County Commission to certify the 2022 Primary Election results.”

Toulouse Oliver claims, “New Mexico’s 2022 Primary Election was conducted with the highest standards of election administration by dedicated county clerks and civil servants across our state.” She added, “The post-election canvassing process is a key component of how we maintain our high levels of election integrity in New Mexico and the Otero County Commission is flaunting that process by appeasing unfounded conspiracy theories and potentially nullifying the votes of every Otero County voter who participated in the Primary.” 

A press release from Toulouse Oliver’s office noted in addition to the lawsuit to compel the Otero County Commission’s compliance with the state elections code “[b]ecause of these violations of their oaths, the Secretary of State’s Office is also preparing a criminal referral to the New Mexico Attorney General related to these willful violations of the Election Code by county officers and their willful failure or refusal to perform their duties under the Election Code.” As of the date of the lawsuit, 12 of New Mexico’s 33 counties had successfully canvassed their election results.

Following this news, Clements said in a recorded video that Toulouse Oliver’s lawsuit is saying, “the commissioners only have one power, and that’s to approve the results, no matter what their concerns are. It’s a gross misreading of the statutory authority of the Otero County Commission.” 

“The Secretary of State is effectively going to the Supreme Court demanding a writ of mandamus — basically saying, ‘Court, order them to certify the election even though the election is being held on uncertifiable, illegal voting systems,’ — which raises the question, why aren’t the county attorneys filing an emergency writ of mandamus with the Supreme Court demanding that the Secretary of State decertify use of the machines, consistent with the statute?”

Clements is urging citizens to look up their county commissioners and ask them not to certify the June 7, 2022, Primary Election. 

The actions by certain county commissions could delay the certification of primary election winners, while the Secretary of State Toulouse Oliver even claims in its lawsuit that refusal to certify “jeopardizes the general election ballot for all candidates.” 

It is immediately unclear what the Otero County Commission will do in response to the lawsuit, but it would have until Friday to comply with the Secretary of State’s demands, or else the state Supreme Court is likely to take action.

MLG applauds GOP senators selling out Americans’ gun rights

Over the weekend, it was reported that ten Republican U.S. Senators are joining with far-left Democrats to pass an extreme anti-gun bill that includes “red flag” legislation to rip away Americans’ due process rights and corrode the Second Amendment.

The Democrat senator leading the talks is Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, and the leader of Republican negotiations is Sen. John Cornyn of Texas.

Scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, a far-left Democrat, could barely contain her excitement with the potential of new anti-gun legislation being passed federally.

She wrote on Twitter, “Today, there is hope for bipartisan action on gun safety. While we have taken significant steps to reduce gun violence, NM will benefit from @ChrisMurphyCT and @JohnCornyn’s commonsense policies.”

The Governor continued, “I call on the Senate to quickly take up this proposal — the time to act is now.”

Lujan Grisham also thanked New Mexico’s radical Democrat Sen. Martin Heinrich, writing, “I’m grateful to the Senators including our own @TeamHeinrich. Together they found a bipartisan solution to address #GunViolence. This is a step in the right direction.”

The Democrats in the New Mexico Legislature, in tandem with Lujan Grisham, rammed through extreme anti-gun legislation in the form of a “red flag” law, among other measures such as funding $300,000 annually for an “Office of Gun Violence Prevention” to take away New Mexicans’ Second Amendment rights.

Despite Lujan Grisham’s rhetoric, her administration has overseen some of the highest crime in New Mexico, with her agenda being chiefly responsible for continued unrest in the streets. In Albuquerque, crime hit an all-time high, while homicides broke historic records. 

These results came while Lujan Grisham worked with far-left Democrats in the Legislature to strip away qualified immunity rights of peace officers, institute “social justice” reforms to the criminal system, and let dangerous criminals back on the streets to ravage New Mexico streets. She also applauded Antifa/Black Lives Matter protesters who defied her lockdown orders to hold violent protests in the streets of Albuquerque.

However, Lujan Grisham and her fellow Democrats in New Mexico continue to bang the gong demanding an erosion of Americans’ constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

Lujan Grisham dances around at ‘pride’ parade before meeting Biden

On Saturday, scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham had a busy day placating her far-left base at the Albuquerque “pride” parade. She appeared at the parade wearing a pink tutu, joined by far-left U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury of the First Congressional District, Democrat congressional candidate Gabe Vasquez, and others.

On Twitter, she posted photos from the parade. She wrote, “It’s a great weekend for a #Pride parade.” 

Lujan Grisham’s campaign staffer Kendall Witmer wrote that the Governor was “celebrating diversity and inclusivity with ABQ’s LGBTQIA+ community.”

She can be seen in footage dancing and high-fiving attendees: 

Then at 1:30 p.m., Lujan Grisham and the far-left Democrat New Mexico delegation met with Joe Biden to speak about the wildfires in New Mexico.

Attendees included Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, U.S. Reps. Melanie Stansbury and Teresa Leger Fernandez, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, and others. The Santa Fe New Mexican’s Daniel Chacón reported that Republican U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell of the Second District also was in attendance.

Protesters were spotted with “F**k Biden” and “Trump Won” flags greeting Joe Biden.

MLG’s Enviro Dept. awards far-left Dem lawmaker for pushing her agenda

Although New Mexico’s state agencies are supposedly meant to be nonpartisan, since they are taxpayer-funded, scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration is flagrantly changing that. 

Other than her revolving door of cabinet members flooding in and out of her controversy-driven administration, Lujan Grisham’s Environment Department is now giving awards to far-left Democrats.

On Thursday, first-term state Sen. Diah Correa Hemphill, a far-left abortion up-to-birth Democrat, was given the “Champion of Protecting Public Health and Environment Award” from the Department. 

Hemphill wrote on Twitter, “I was honored to receive the New Mexico Environment Department’s 2022 Champion in Protecting Public Health and Environment award for supporting the Governor’s initiatives to protect and restore the environment and foster a healthy and prosperous New Mexico for present and future generations.” She thanked James Kenney, the Environment Department’s secretary.

Kenney wrote in reply, “Congratulations and well deserved Senator! Thank you for all you do to support the mission of the @NMEnvDep!”

The extreme left-wing senator supported all the farthest left proposals in the legislature, including one that would result in an at least 50 cent-per-gallon increase in gas prices.

The Environment Department’s official account retweeted Hemphill, replying with a “First Place” emoji and clapping emojis. 

One commenter on Twitter noted, “Well I gotta hand it to Siah. At least she admits that she got the legislative equivalent of a participation trophy. I didn’t alter one word, just erased the sugar.” 

Otero County asks to nix tabulators, drop boxes amid audit findings

On Thursday, the Otero County Commission held a full day-long meeting to consider and act upon agenda items to secure elections in the County. The items, which all passed unanimously, will: 

Request approval to hand counting all ballots cast inside the Dominion Voting System to verify vote count of machine after the June 7th primary.

Request approval to discontinue the use of Dominion Voting Machines before the 2022 General Election.

Request approval to remove all election ballot drop boxes from the public square in an attempt to secure our election in 2022.

Throughout the meeting, which featured New Mexico Audit Force leaders Professor David Clements and Erin Clements, a handful of leftist attendees constantly interrupted and interjected throughout the consideration of new facts presented.

Some of the new findings included stray marks on ballots counted as votes, possible fraud/digital manipulation, ghost votes (people who voted but do not live at registered addresses), and potentially other issues with Dominion tabulator machines. 

County Clerk Robyn Holmes had to be brought into the meeting, in which she once again defended the alleged security of Otero County’s elections. When presented with evidence of dead people voting in elections, as well as people registered at empty lots, Holmes insisted, “We can’t go out to all of our 37,000 registered voters and go door-to-door.” 

Regarding alleged fraudulent activity found by the Clements, Homes said, “If they’re doing this and they’re finding this information, I’m saying, ‘show me!’” 

Erin Clements already has provided around 200 addresses and voters that have issues. More are being processed and delivered to Holmes and her staff. There are also open Inspection of Public Records Act requests by Commissioner Couy Griffin that have so far gone unanswered by the County Clerk’s Office, according to Griffin.

Another topic of discussion involved Dominion tabulator machines having access to the internet and having the ability to print on ballots. David Clements said to Holmes, “If we’re wrong about remote access of these machines, let us look at the machines.”

Commissioner Vickie Marquardt even said she might vote against the canvass of the June 7th primary election that just occurred over questions involving the Dominion machines. 

Time will tell if the machines, ballot drop boxes, and hand counts will occur. Watch the commission meeting here:

MLG’s team claims she’s a ‘woman of color,’ brands opponents as ‘far-right extremists’

On Wednesday, scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s campaign sent out a frantic-sounding email claiming MAGA (Make America Great Again) Republicans are coming for her while they spread “climate denialism.”

The email claimed, “We can’t let the GOP replace the country’s only woman of color to serve as Governor with a GOP radical who would take our state back.” It is unclear what her team defines as a “woman of color,” but it appears to be race-baiting.

It further went on to claim that Mark Ronchetti, the newly chosen GOP nominee for governor, is a “far-right extremist,” despite his stances being moderate, especially regarding “climate change,” which he has said he has been “on board” with “for over 20 years.” 

Her team then went on to ask for campaign cash, writing, “Every MAGA supporter is about to flood Ronchetti’s campaign with donations, so we have to ask: Will you please contribute $5 before midnight to help us reach our emergency $15,000 goal and keep New Mexico blue?” 

Lujan Grisham has a record of misuse of campaign funds, misuse of taxpayer funds, paying off a former staffer $150,000 over an alleged crotch grab, an attack on the state’s oil and gas industry, the killing of 40% of small businesses during her pandemic lockdown, a revolving door cabinet, among countless other scandals.

Lujan Grisham faces Republican Mark Ronchetti and Libertarian Karen Bedonie* in the General Election on November 8. 

*There is a write-in candidate Ginger Grider, who is running against Bedonie. According to news reports by KAHL, it will take a few days for write-in ballots to be counted. 

What you need to know before you vote Tuesday

On Tuesday, New Mexicans will decide many key races in New Mexico to determine the trajectory of the state by selecting who will appear on the General Election ballot.

These races include the fight for the governorship, where five Republicans face off to challenge Democrat scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. These include Sandoval County Commissioner Jay Block of Rio Rancho, state Rep. Rebecca Dow of Truth or Consequences, former television weatherman Mark Ronchetti of Albuquerque, former Mayor of Cuba Ethel Maharg of Albuquerque, and financial advisor Greg Zanetti of Albuquerque. On the Libertarian ticket, Karen Bedonie faces off against write-in candidate Ginger Grider Tuesday. 

There are multiple moderate Democrats facing off against far-left incumbents in the state House of Representatives, while some Democrats are facing off against primary challenges to the left. The most visible of these races is between one-term state Rep. Roger Montoya of Velarde who is being challenged by former State Rep. Joseph Sanchez, a pro-life, pro-Second Amendment Democrat. Montoya voted for abortion up to birth and backed most of the Democrats’ anti-gun measures.

On the Republican side, four moderate incumbents face off against conservative Republican challengers. State Rep. Larry Scott of Hobbs faces off against Elaine Sena Cortez, Randall Pettigrew of Lovington goes up against Rebecca Jill Jones, Rachel Black of Alamogordo faces Piñon Post editor and founder John Block, and  Jane Powdrell-Culbert of Corrales faces off against Frida Susana Vasquez. All of these challengers have focused their campaigns on the lack of representation from the current incumbents in the Legislature, as well as bad votes taken by these incumbents.

These include voting for the Democrats’ far-left 2022 budget, which Black and Powdrell-Culbert voted for. Also, Pettigrew voted for an anti-gun bill in a committee hearing, despite having the opportunity to kill the bad bill with one  Democrat who voted against the measure. 

All statewide elected state-level offices are up for grabs, including the lieutenant governorship, where Republicans Ant Thornton and Peggy Muller-Aragón face off. Two Democrats, Heather Benavidez and Laura Montoya face off for state treasurer, a seat currently held by term-limited Treasurer Tim Eichenberg. The winner of that contest faces Republican Harry Montoya. In the race for attorney general, Democrat State Auditor Brian Colón, who has the backing of retiring Attorney General Hector Balderas, is running against Albuquerque-area District Attorney Raúl Torrez, who has the backing of George Soros and Sen. Martin Heinrich. The winner of that primary contest faces Republican Jeremy Gay in November.

For state auditor, Democrat Public Regulation Commissioner Joseph Maestas faces former ombudsman under the Lujan Grisham regime and failed Albuquerque City Council candidate Zackary Quintero.

Totals as of Saturday from the Secretary of State’s Office show that Democrats have cast 59,718 votes early, Republicans trail slightly with 44,986 votes cast so far, and Libertarians casting 409 votes. Of those who voted early in person, Democrats made up 47,867, while Republicans had 39,907, and Libertarians had 368. Democrats lead in absentee ballots, with 11,851, Republicans with 5,079, and Libertarians with 41. 

To find your closes polling locations and to see your sample ballot, click here on the Secretary of State’s website.

In this primary election, independent (declined to state) voters are permitted to vote in either the Republican or Democrat primaries, so those who have not selected a party affiliation but are registered to vote can participate in either of the primary elections.

For all voting locations in your area, you can search the closest one here. If you have any questions before the June 7 primary, contact your local county clerk’s office or the Secretary of State’s Office, which can be reached here: (505) 827-3600. 

Joe Biden coming to Santa Fe, NM next week

According to a White House press statement shared by Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich, “On Saturday, June 11, [Joe] Biden will travel to Santa Fe, New Mexico. [He] will meet with New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, State and local officials, first responders and response and recovery personnel from FEMA and other agencies to receive a briefing on the New Mexico wildfires at the New Mexico State Emergency Operation Center.”

The visit follows the Federal Government starting controlled burns during high winds that caused wildfires across the state, including the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fire, which has burned more than 310,000 acres — roughly the size of London, England.

The fire is the largest in state history, and it has been worsened by a lack of forest management, as well as environmental groups helping stop logging and cleanup through lawsuits to protect supposedly endangered animals.

According to the Western Journal, “The mismanagement of the burns adds to the cost. It costs $5 million a day to fight the fire; over $132 million has already been spent. Around 3,000 firefighters are combatting the blaze.”

The outlet further reported, “Governor Grisham called for compensation to New Mexico from the Federal Emergency Management Administration. Based on investigations showing the federal government’s involvement in starting the fires, Grisham wants Biden to authorize 100 percent funding for the needed recovery efforts.”

Toulouse Oliver spreads election lies with so-called ‘Rumor vs. Reality’ site

On Tuesday, it was reported that far-left Democrat Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver was launching a new so-called “Rumor vs. Reality” page on the official Secretary of State website claiming to debunk falsehoods regarding elections.

Toulouse Oliver erroneously tries to falsely claim that the Dinesh D’Souza film, 2000 Mules, incorrectly describes ballot trafficking across the country. She claims, “The movie uses flawed assumptions and faulty data to try to prove its point about the 2020 election.”

She uses the false talking point that the 2020 election, which the 2000 Mules movie and multiple other data sources have debunked, “was the ‘most secure in history.” 

The Democrat Secretary of State also claimed that New Mexico’s voter rolls are “clean and up-to-date,” which is also a false statement. Despite the audit of the 2020 election in Otero County proving that 40% of ballots cast in 2020 had anomalies, she claims she has faith in Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). She claims the platform “uses information from motor vehicle departments, Social Security Administration records, and other databases to compare voters across all member states and securely shares this information with member states.”

ERIC was founded by the leftist Pew Charitable Trusts. 

Another false claim Toulouse Oliver makes is that vote tabulators are not connected to the internet, despite Otero County audit findings showing that is false. Toulouse Oliver claimed, “vote tabulators are prevented by law and process from being joined to a computer network or the Internet.”

Despite her claims, all three major vote tabulator manufacturers “have acknowledged they all put modems in some of their tabulators and scanners,” according to NBC News

Toulouse Oliver claimed that election results cannot be changed, citing so-called “safeguards,” such as risk-limiting audits that do not truly audit findings from an election. Also, since each individual absentee ballot, once separated from its enclosing envelope, is undetectable as a unique ballot tied to a specific voter. Therefore there is no way to claim with such certainty, as Toulouse Oliver does, that “safeguards” keep elections from being stolen.

There are other various claims the Secretary of State makes which are blatantly false. She appears to be using the official Secretary of State’s Office website for political gain by lying about 2000 Mules and other truths proving election fraud exists — especially in the state of New Mexico.

Scroll to Top