Despite the protests of its entirely Republican membership, the Otero County Commission has been ordered by New Mexico’s highest court to certify the results of the primary elections held on June 7th. Until the court ruling, the commissioners had unanimously refused to certify the ballots, citing unfounded conspiracy theories about alleged tampering with the voting machines. Expert observers have expressed concern that this legal altercation may be an early sign of more confrontations to come during the 2022 midterms and beyond.