The second attempt since the last redistricting process to get a question on the ballot about who should be in charge of drawing New Mexico鈥檚 voting districts has fizzled in the Legislature.
would ask voters whether to amend the state鈥檚 constitution, taking the redistricting process away from lawmakers and giving it to an independent commission instead. It was nearly unanimously tabled in the House Judiciary Committee Monday, with lawmakers from both parties voting to set the measure aside, with only Democratic Rep. Andrea Romero voting against doing so.
A similar bill stalled in the same committee last year, but without getting a hearing. Bill co-sponsor, Democratic Rep. Natalie Figueroa, told 九色网 at the time that she wanted to 鈥渃ome back strong and fast and make sure that it moves farther in the next session.鈥� Ahead of the vote to table it Monday, she made one last effort to convince the panel to move the legislation forward to a vote of the full House.
Minority Leader Ryan Lane and others had argued that lawmakers should be the ones to draw the maps because they鈥檙e elected by and accountable to the voters. That鈥檚 opposed to the proposed redistricting commissioners who would be appointed by the State Ethics Commission after Legislative leadership from each party gets an opportunity to strike nominees from a list.
鈥淚t is the people who are asking for this opportunity,鈥� Figueroa said. 鈥淭hey will be deciding whether we have an independent redistricting commission or not. As direct representatives of the people, that is our job.鈥�
showed 77% of New Mexicans support the idea of an independent commission.
Democratic Rep. Gail Chasey reiterated her position from last year that the 2021 redistricting process, which was the first to have the Citizen Redistricting Committee engage the public and recommend maps to lawmakers, worked well 鈥� at least in the House, which got the closest to using a CRC map.
鈥淚f you are happy with our House process, let鈥檚 codify it,鈥� Figueroa told the panel. 鈥淟et鈥檚 make sure it consistently happens. Let鈥檚 make sure those maps are binding instead of advisory.鈥�
However, University of New Mexico researchers that even House lawmakers engaged in incumbency protection in their final map 鈥� a form of gerrymandering that lowers the competition for sitting lawmakers.
Figueroa also spoke to concerns about whether the Supreme Court that the U.S. Constitution gives state lawmakers control over the maps regardless of state policy.
鈥淏ut we don鈥檛 control that from here,鈥� Figueroa said of this possibly becoming a federal process. 鈥淲hat we control is New Mexico鈥檚 process, or at least the opportunity to give the voters a chance to say whether this is what they choose. And that will put pressure on the federal system to make that choice.鈥�
While there鈥檚 still plenty of time to bring a version of this proposal back to the Legislature ahead of the next redistricting process in 2031, it鈥檚 unlikely to get another chance this session. Figueroa had argued that now was the time to get this done because the last round of redistricting is still fresh in people鈥檚 minds.
