A Senate Joint Resolution on Independent Redistricting Commission has been filed. Senator Jaramillo and Representative Figueroa have filed a Senate Joint Resolution calling for an independent redistricting commission. See the resolution here: SJR7.
If passed by both chambers, the question of creation of an independent redistricting commission will go on the 2024 general election ballot. The Governor does not need to sign it. Ask your legislator to support the joint resolution. See a summary of the joint resolution here (DOCX).
Download Word file: comparison23and24.docx
State's highest court holds that Republican claims can proceed under legal standard proposed by U.S. Supreme Court's liberal justices.
Two articles discussing the decision: NM Supreme Court rejects Democrats' argument in redistricting case (July 5 2023 Albuquerque Journal); N.M. Supreme Court gives hope to GOP in redistricting suit (July 5 Santa Fe New Mexican).
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.
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?.
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.
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.
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
Pueblo map seeks to spread power, but Republicans fear loss of New Mexico House seat.
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:
January 24 Fair Districts will be tabling in the West Hall of History at the New Mexico State Capitol, the Roundhouse. The League of Women Voters will also be present. Please come see us. We would love to see you there!
![[Dr. Gabriel Sanchez]](/images/gabriel-sanchez.jpg)
Fair Districts for New Mexico and New Mexico First will host a virtual public meeting on October 4 at 9:00am to present and discuss the newly released report, "New Mexico Redistricting Evaluation" (see links at bottom), written in collaboration with Redistricting Partners, a redistricting and research contractor out of Sacramento, California.
Dr. Gabriel Sanchez is a professor at the UNM Department of Political Science, as well as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Chair in Health Policy and Executive Director at the UNM Center for Social Policy. He is a Rubenstein Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Co-Founder, UNM Native American Budget and Policy Institute. Dr. Sanchez will present his findings and answer questions. The public is encouraged to attend.
Dr. David Cottrell is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science. He earned his B.A. in Political Science from the University of California at Davis and his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Michigan. Before joining the faculty at UGA he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Program in Quantitative Social Science at Dartmouth College, where he subsequently served as a lecturer in quantitative methods for the Department of Government. His research uses empirical and computational methods to explore how rules and procedures distort representation in the United States. Dr. Cottrell was a major contributor to the “New Mexico Redistricting 2021 Evaluation”.
Time: Oct 4, 2022 09:00 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://nmfirst-org.zoom.us/j/81565682858
Meeting ID: 815 6568 2858
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June 28, 2021: Let redistricting committee do its job By: Dick Mason
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.
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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.
What it does: read our summary of HJR9.
What you can do: Call key legislators and ask them to support HJR9.
Link to the bill: HJR9 — Independent Redistricting CA.
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:
The Citizen Redistricting Committee has selected their maps to send to the
Legislature. You can find them here:
CRC Adopted Maps.
These maps have been sent to Dr. Cottrell at the University of Georgia for
evaluation for partisan fairness and other criteria. We expect those results
back within 7 days.
We expect the CRC to meet on October 29th to review the evaluations from Dr. Cottrell at the University of Georgia and to add the CRC explanations for why they adopted each map. Read the full details of what Dr. Cottrell will be evaluating.
Second round of public meetings of the Citizen Redistricting Committeeare set for September 28 - October 8. They will receive input on the proposed concept maps.
See the meeting schedule here: CRC Public Meetings.
New Mexico Legislative Redistricting Page.
Great historical info including 2012 maps. Also links to current action.
The portal for public input will remain open all the way through the Legislative Special Session on Redistricting.
NM's Citizen Redistricting Committee
See Gallery of Submitted Maps/Comments
Draw/Submit Your Own Maps/Comments
Get Help Drawing Maps with Districtr
There are ongoing trainings on how to create maps and Communities of Interest (COIs) and how to otherwise make your voice heard to the Citizen Redistricting Committee.
The MGGG Lab at Tufts University has been contracted to provide the New Mexico public with the tools to develop its own maps with the Districtr program.
Want to draw and submit your own New Mexico redistricting maps? Join mapping experts for a training on how to do so in English or Spanish throughout the months of August and September. Details and schedule here
You can also learn lots more about the redistricting process and the Citizen Redistricting Committee by visiting the link here
Read about details of the software (PDF).
Want to know more about the Tufts Lab and redistricting? Politico Magazine: Is Gerrymandering About to Become More Difficult?
![[SB15 Amendments as of 3-8-2021, thumbnail]](/images/SB15_Amendements_3-8-21-t.jpg)
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SB15 Amendments as of 3-8-2021SB15 Amendments as of 3-8-2021 (PDF, 1.1M). |
Friday, July 2, 2021, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m MDT.
Location: Virtually via Zoom.
Watch the
webcast on sliq.net,
or join via Zoom:
Zoom link
Meeting ID: 859 3072 6465
Dial-in Number: (669) 900-9128
Passcode: 430850
Link to meeting materials: 7-2-2021-CRC-Meeting-Materials.pdf.
More information on the Citizen Redistricting Committee.
Credits: voice Rod Kennedy.
Read the House Redistricting Act HB211 here. The Senate Redistricting Act, being filed this week, is identical.
Read the Fact Sheet on the House Redistricting Act here.
Read the Fact Sheet on the Senate Redistricting Act here.
Tracking of NM Senate Support for Fair Redistricting: Your help sought to contact and persuade New Mexico Senators. Please contact us at fairdistricts@lwvnm.org with any feedback you can share with us.
Legislators' responses to redistricting questions by region. These are combined answers from various surveys and the questions were posed differently:
