Join usOn 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:
Read our summary here: Fair Districts For New Mexico (FDNM) Summary of the Redistricting Session.
Citizen Redistricting Committee Final Report
Citizen Redistricting Committee Adopted District Maps
Nov 5, 2021: Here are some Themes for Letters to the Editor and OpEds.
Pueblo map seeks to spread power, but Republicans fear loss of New Mexico House seat.
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 Citizen Redistricting Committee has its own website. All you want to know about the CRC including its public input portal. NMRedistricting.org
June 28, 2021: Let redistricting committee do its job By: Dick Mason
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.
See this document: CRCappointments.docx.
Fair Districts for NM is issuing the following statement:
Fair Districts for NM (FDNM), a broad coalition of 26 New Mexico organizations, looks forward to working with the Citizen Redistricting Committee (CRC) to continue to assure that the redistricting process is fair, transparent and equitable..
FDNM is concerned about the lack of cultural and geographic representation on the CRC. We suggest that the CRC address this issue in their work plan.
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:
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Redistricting Drama Draws Lines In The Sand3/9/21 YNMG: Redistricting Drama Draws Lines In The Sand. by Khalil Ekulona |
The Hill: New Mexico legislature advancing bipartisan redistricting reform.
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.
View the PowerPoint here: FDNMPowerPointTempB.pptx.
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.