A. After all certificates have been executed, the presiding judge and the two election judges shall place the checklist of registered voters voting and one copy of the machine-printed returns in the stamped, addressed envelope provided for that purpose and immediately mail it to the secretary of state.
B. The signature roster, the machine-printed returns and the removable media storage device shall be returned to the county clerk. The signature roster, the machine-printed returns and the removable media storage device shall not be placed in the ballot box.
C. Signature rosters and machine-printed returns in the custody of the county clerk may be destroyed only pursuant to Section 1-12-69 NMSA 1978.
D. The county clerk shall report the unofficial total returns for the county to the secretary of state within ten hours after the polls close.
History: 1953 Comp., § 3-12-53, enacted by Laws 1969, ch. 240, § 289; 1977, ch. 222, § 40; 1987, ch. 327, § 15; 1991, ch. 105, § 31; 2011, ch. 137, § 95.
ANNOTATIONSThe 2011 amendment, effective July 1, 2011, prohibited the placing of removable media storage devices in the ballot box and permitted the destruction of signature rosters and machine-printed returns only pursuant to Section 1-12-69 NMSA 1978.
The 1991 amendment, effective April 2, 1991, inserted "and the direct recording electronic cartridge for electronic and marksense machines" in two places in Subsection B and made related stylistic changes.