Vigil said she consulted with legal experts, talked with her partner and family, and reached two conclusions.

“One is that there are unfortunately unanswered questions as to how a few ballots in the HD-16 recount were adjudicated. In the vast majority of races, this would not affect the outcome and the matter would be easily settled. Since we’re talking about a three vote difference however, it is actually significant that a few voters may have been misunderstood. It weighs heavily on me whether or not the voters have been thoroughly heard,” she said.

Weighed against that, however, is that while she loves the job as a state representative, “these last couple of years have taken a toll, and an additional battle at this juncture is not in the cards for me.”

Vigil said she has endeavored to be “the bigger person” and to rise above the threatening and abusive behavior she experienced in her first term.

“I know that many people in our community understand what that’s like, and appreciate the need to care for oneself in order to continue being of service to others. The struggle for justice and equality is ongoing, and it is best for me and my family at this time to step back and regroup.”

Vigil also addressed the national “Big Lie” of Donald Trump, who refused to acknowledge he lost the 2020 presidential election. She stated that rhetoric “has made it very difficult to have a rational public dialogue about election procedures, even when legitimate concerns are present. This is a critical moment in which extremist politicians at the national and local level will stop at nothing to overrule the voters when it suits them. So, I want to be abundantly clear that I will not be accepting lectures from insurrectionists about how to respond to an extremely close election. This is a statistical tie, and it’s important that we recognize that fact.”

Vigil was the first Democrat elected to represent House District 16.