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Outside auditor proposed to canvass November election returns .
SANTA FE (AP) - Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron is proposing to hire an outside auditor to prepare the statewide canvass of this year's general election returns. The canvass, which serves as the official compilation of election results, traditionally has been done by staff in the secretary of state's office and that work is then reviewed by an independent accountant. New Mexico is switching to a paper ballot voting system for the Nov. 7 general election and Vigil-Giron wants an outside auditor to put together the summary of voting. The canvassing work would continue to be under the supervision of the secretary of state's office. "Moving to a new system, we just want to make sure that everything is done correctly," said Ray Baray, a spokesman for Vigil-Giron. "The secretary just wants there to be transparency in this election." Having an independent auditor do the canvass, Baray said, also should help assure voters there are "no politics involved whatsoever" in the state's canvass of election returns.
Vigil-Giron is asking the state Board of Finance to provide $200,000 so she can hire an independent auditing firm. The seven-member board, which is headed by the governor, is expected to consider the request Tuesday. If the money is approved, Baray said, an auditor would be selected through a competitive bidding process.
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