HJR1, a bill to put the question of creation of an Independent Redistricting Commission in New Mexico on the 2024 ballot died Monday in the New Mexico House Judiciary Committee on a 10-1 vote. Multiple lawmakers voiced their viewpoint that the legislature should retain authority to draw its own district lines. Advocates for the bill offered extensive testimony, arguing for the bill’s passage and presenting survey data that 77% of likely N.M. voters want an independent redistricting commission and that the Legislature should let voters decide.
Representatives Natalie Figueroa (D-ABQ) and Jason Harper (R-Rio Rancho) presented a compelling case for an independent redistricting commission. They were joined in their presentation by Robert Rhatigan, a member of the 2021 advisory Citizen Redistricting Committee and Heather Balas, Vice President of the Election Reformers Network.
“We are very disappointed,” said Dick Mason of Fair Districts for New Mexico, “What we saw yesterday in the House Judiciary Committee was bipartisanship, but NOT the kind advocates of democracy seek.
Read the full statement: House Judiciary Committee kills bill to reform N.M.’s approach to redistricting.
Judicial leaders call for a independent redistricting commission.
Editorial: HJR 1 could finally end gerrymandering and buddymandering in NM.
HJR1 passes House Elections and Indian Affairs Committee by a 5-2 bipartisan vote. Now on to House Judiciary. Please contact members and ask them to give HJR1 a "do pass": House Judiciary.
Oped in the Santa Fe New Mexican.
Representative Natalie Figueroa will file a House Joint Resolution that, if passed by the legislature, would put the question of an independent redistricting commission on the 2024 ballot. What does it do? Read the analysis: HJR for an Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC): What would it do?.
NM HOUSE AFTER THE 2022 GENERAL ELECTION – Official Results 12/15/22 (docx)
A Nov 19, 2022 editorial in the Santa Fe New Mexican discussing Dr. Gabe Sanchez's study, and the importance of an independent redistricting commission: Independence is key for redistricting.
Dr. Gabe Sanchez discusses the 2021 New Mexico Redistricting Evaluation on NM InFocus.
Have something to say about the findings? Contact your legislators today!
10.4.22 Redistricting Evaluation Release Public Meeting from New Mexico First on Vimeo.
In this public meeting, researchers Dr. Gabe Sanchez and Dr. David Cottrell share findings contained in the NM Redistricting Evaluation Report released in September, 2022.
The report can be accessed below.
Have something to say about the findings? Contact your legislators today!
See the full New Mexico Redistricting Evaluation here (9.7Mb)
See the New Mexico Redistricting Evaluation Executive Summary here
See the detailed Press Release for the Evaluation here
Have something to say about the findings? Contact your legislators today!
Have something to say about the findings? Contact your legislators today!
Fair Districts has sent a survey to each NM House candidate, NM statewide candidate, and incumbent NM State Senator for their input on redistricting. Please encourage your elected officials and the candidates to complete their survey today. They will find it in their inbox or may contact us at faidistricts@lwvnm.org for a link. Thank you for your advocacy!
Secretary of State’s list of candidates.
Past Survey of 2022 Primary Candidates for New Mexico House - Responses of winners.
Fair Districts for New Mexico is nonpartisan, but we remind New Mexico Democratic policymakers and candidates that their Democratic Party of New Mexico State Platform 2022 plank on redistricting states: “We will advocate for a constitutional amendment to end gerrymandering by creating and giving authority to an independent non-partisan redistricting commission that includes diverse membership, specifically including Native American representation and participation. This commission shall be separate from the legislative process to prevent the drawing of political boundaries favoring one party over another or favoring incumbents.”
Green Party National Platform: Nonpartisan redistricting: Establish independent and transparent non-partisan redistricting processes to stop partisan gerrymandering and protect minority rights and representation.
Libertarian Party National Platform on Representative Government:We oppose laws that effectively exclude alternative candidates and parties, deny ballot access, gerrymander districts, or deny the voters their right to consider all alternatives.
To our knowledge the Republican Party does not have a platform plank on redistricting.
Things are still progressing on our end!
Here are some things happening:
1. The New Mexico First Redistricting Task Force has reconvened and will be making their recommendations by late June.
2. Dr Gabe Sanchez of the UNM Center for Social Policy is doing an evaluation of the 2021 redistricting process in New Mexico. We expect to have the results soon.
3. FDNM has contracted to have a short animated film made to illustrate the need for an independent redistricting commission.
4. The interim Courts, Corrections & Justice Legislative Committee has redistricting on the agenda for the fall. Senate Rules, the only standing committee authorized to meet in the interim, expects to hear voting and election bills, including redistricting.
5. We will be conducting a redistricting survey of the House primary winners. We will also be surveying state senators and candidates for statewide offices.
6. We have two new FDNM partners: Veterans and Military Families Caucus DPNM and America Votes of NM
7. Representative Natalie Figueroa plans to file an updated version of HJR9 – Independent Redistricting Commission.
8. We had two calls with activists in Colorado about their experience passing a constitutional amendment to create an independent redistricting commission and how that commission performed.
If you meet with any candidates or state senators, please ask them to commit to supporting a constitutional amendment that will create an independent redistricting commission.
Watch for a FDNM meeting via Zoom in late June, please.
Thank you all for your helping get this far and your commitment to a constitutional amendment to create an independent redistricting commission.
The Secretary of State has maps for the new Congressional districts. The sidebar on the left has links to the New Mexico Senate, House and Public Education districts.
The League of Women Voters of New Mexico also has updated NM District Maps.
On February 9, 2022, HJR9 Constitutional Amendment for an Independent Redistricting Commission passed House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs committee on a 5-4 vote. We want to thank Chairwoman Georgene Louis, Representatives Daymon Ely, Doreen Gallegos, Wonda Johnson and Kristina Ortez for voting in support of fair and transparent redistricting.
Given the lateness in the session and the heavy load of legislation remaining we did not expect HJR9 to receive its next hearing which would have been House Judiciary. Our goals in this session were to get HJR9 passed in at least one committee and to get a read on what legislators liked and did not like in the resolution. With your help we accomplished those goals.
We want to thank our dedicated sponsor Representative Natalie Figueroa for working so diligently to get the bill drafted and introduced with Representative Ely’s help, and for her skillful presentations to the committee. The Representative has let us know she is with us going into the 2023 session.
Judge Roderick Kennedy, Jeremy Farris of the New Mexico State Ethics Commission and Heather Balas of the Election Reformers Network provided expert testimony at the committee hearings. I want to express the LWVNM’s deepest gratitude to Justice Edward Chavez who helped bring us here with his dedication to the New Mexico First Redistricting Task Force and the Citizen Redistricting Committee. He also helped draft the original language of HJR9.
Fair Districts for New Mexico will be working with New Mexico First as they reconvene the Redistricting Task Force that was key in developing the principles that resulted in the passage of the 2021 Redistricting Act.
What it does:
read our summary of HJR9 Committee substitute.
Link to the bill:
HJR9 — Independent Redistricting CA Committee substitute
FDNM Public Meeting 1/4/2022, "The Constitutional Amendment for an Independent Redistricting Commission in New Mexico": Zoom recording (use passcode YjrB2e@E).
Resources for Research:
Fair Districts For New Mexico (FDNM) Summary of the Redistricting Session.
Pueblo map seeks to spread power, but Republicans fear loss of New Mexico House seat.
Citizen Redistricting Committee Final Report
Citizen Redistricting Committee Adopted District Maps
Advocates laud state's new approach to decennial redistricting processing, By Robert Nott
Article in the Santa Fe New Mexican:
First glimpse of proposed New Mexico redistricting maps shows many options
Casey Douma of Laguna Pueblo, co-chair of the All Pueblo Council
of Governors' redistricting committee addressed the Citizen
Redistricting Committee on August 14 at the Albuquerque Indian
Pueblo Cultural Center. We share
Mr. Douma's informative presentation here.
The Princeton Gerrymandering Project is providing 5 trainings on redistricting for the Citizen Redistricting Committee; As they are completed they will be posted on the Princeton website. Watch them there: New Mexico Redistricting Trainings.
April 29, 2021:
In a webinar on redistricting, Justice Chavez gave
a brief summary of the Citizen Redistricting Committee created by
SB304. Peter Wattson discussed other states with similar redistricting
models, and gave advice on what we can do to prepare even before
the CRC starts.
Documents for the webinar:
Recording of the Webinar Redistricting Rock Stars, Tuesday, January 12, 6:30pm.
See FDNM with Redistricting Task Force Chairmen former NM Supreme Court Justice Edward Chavez and former NM Appeals Court Judge Roderick Kennedy as we discuss how the Chairmen foresee the Task Force's findings affecting redistricting reform at the legislative session. We also discuss the Redistricting Act, the Senate bill for redistricting reform. Hosted by the League of Women Voters New Mexico President, Hannah Burling.
Read the Task Force's report here: Redistricting Taskforce in New Mexico.
Writer and reporter Gwyneth Doland, of New Mexico In Depth, speaks about the historical aspects of redistricting in New Mexico, how they impact redistricting today, and what we might expect in redistricting 2021. Doland is the author of Redistricting NM 2021; A troubled history and opportunities for change.
View the video of our webinar on Redistricting in New Mexico.
Research & Polling presentation to New Mexico Legislative Council (PDF, 1.5M) from January 19, 2021.
Results of a poll on public views on redistricting reform by UNM Center for
Social Policy. In some cases the presentation compares the public views with
those who applied to be on the Redistricting Task Force:
2020 New Mexico Redistricting Survey.
Downloadable Articles and Info.
Themes for Op/Eds and Letters to the Editor.
You can get legislator contact information from the New Mexico League of Women Voters.