The New Mexico Secretary of State's Office is seeking a judge's permission to investigate how initial election returns from one county were grossly miscalculated.
Bureau of Elections Director Bobbi Shearer wants to conduct a full audit and open locked ballot boxes in Colfax County.
County officials say a recount in the land commissioner's race showed Democrat Ray Powell had 84 fewer votes and Republican Aubrey Dunn had more than 100 fewer than what was first reported.
Shearer told the State Canvassing Board on Thursday that the difference was "unacceptably high" considering fewer than 4,000 Colfax County residents voted.
An audit will not affect the outcome of the November race. Elections officials say Dunn won by more than 650 votes statewide.
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Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com
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