New Mexico’s redistricting process has been a marvel of transparency, so far.
The state’s brand new, nonpartisan Citizen’s Redistricting Committee has conducted a very public process of posting maps on its website, inviting comment, encouraging people to submit their own maps, and even offering map-making tutorials. Various interest groups and individuals responded. It’s all out there in living color for everyone to see.
The committee also held meetings all over the state and invited people to testify in person or by Zoom.
On Oct. 15 the committee announced that it will forward three plans for the U. S. House to legislators. Plans for other political districts are still in progress.
Public comments make it clear that the mostly southern 2nd Congressional District doesn’t want to be broken up, and the mostly northern 3rd Congressional District feels the same way.
Kathy Hardy, of Lovington, wrote, “Southeast NM must be kept together in a single Congressional District. We have a voice; we want representation; and we want to be heard.”
Darel Madrid, of Hernandez, urged the committee to keep CD3 a northern district. “Having a northern NM district has enabled acequias as a community of interest to have some influence in the election of our representatives to Congress.”
In addition, Native American communities don’t want their vote diluted, and neither do Hispanic and African American communities.
The magic words are “communities of interest.” Along with the usual considerations of party and census, the goals of redistricting are to maintain communities of interest, balance populations, try not to divide cities, and create compact districts that make geographic sense.
It will be a delicate dance for the committee and for the Legislature, which has the last word.
The U. S. House maps drew the most comment. Map A, which largely maintains the status quo, was heavily favored, while Map H, submitted by the progressive Center for Civic Policy, was mostly panned. In order to create a solidly Hispanic district, it gives CD3 a long arm south along the East Side, joins Bernalillo County’s South Valley with CD2, and creates a large CD1 out of Bernalillo, Chaves, Guadalupe, De Baca, and Lincoln counties.
Map H drew opposition from Lea, Eddy and Chaves county commissions, the state Republican Party, and many individuals.
Barbara Taggart, of Carlsbad, spoke for many when she wrote that Map H “is blatant gerrymandering and risks depriving rural, conservative New Mexicans of a voice in Congress.”
Nadine Dunaway, of Carlsbad, said policy makers should “keep it sensible and follow the industry…
At both a federal and state level we need the voice of those dependent on the New Mexico oil and gas industry to be heard just as we need aerospace and agriculture workers to have a voice.”
The Republican Party pointed out that Map A is 38% Republican, 38% Democrat, and 25% other. It’s also majority Hispanic at 55.8%.
“CD2 is well balanced, a true toss-up seat. Very few of these exist among the 435 U. S. House seats,” the party wrote. “CD1 and CD3 are heavily weighted to Democrats under Map A, but that is reflective of the population. There is no gerrymandering, the districts are contiguous and straightforward. Albuquerque will always have a representative.”
Map H ignores regional customs and culture, the Rs wrote, by diminishing the voices of rural residents, dividing the city of Hobbs, awkwardly joining southeastern and northern New Mexico, and lumping Roswell, Ruidoso, and Albuquerque together.
Legislators will take up redistricting in December. There the process becomes opaque, as decisions could be made in party caucus meetings that aren’t open to the public. Plans made this way 10 years ago ended in court and cost millions to resolve. Let’s hope the committee’s work and public discussions help deliver a better outcome.
Sherry Robinson is a New Mexico News Services columnist. She can be reached at robinson@nmia.com.
