Redistrict New Mexico is a clearinghouse of information for issues related to creation of an independent redistricting commission and fair, citizen driven redistricting. It offers information on potential reforms, research, upcoming meetings and other organizations supporting the work.

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What is fair redistricting?

​Redistricting is the way voting boundaries are drawn, including for Congress, state legislatures, and (in NM) the Public Education Commission. When those boundaries are manipulated for political gain or to discriminate against certain groups, that's called gerrymandering. Even when boundaries are not manipulated, lawmakers who draw district lines are placed in difficult conflicts of interest since they are essentially picking their own voters. The public overwhelming believes that voters should pick their lawmakers, rather than lawmakers picking their constituents. In New Mexico, 77% of likely voters support an Independent Redistricting Commission. The same poll indicated that most did not approve of the legislature’s performance in the 2021 redistricting cycle.

House version of IRC bill introduced
Jan 28, 2024

Common Cause issues report on redistricting and the Native vote
May 5, 2024

​​Princeton case study offers insights on redistricting reform in Colorado
July 16, 2024

Do New Mexico voters want independent redistricting?
YES!

Snapshot: 2024 Legislative Session

After collecting input from stakeholders and model bill research by Election Reformers Network, the Fair Districts New Mexico coalition drafted new legislation to establish an Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) in our state. NM Senators Leo Jaramillo and Antoinette Sedillo Lopez sponsored the bill, which was championed by long-time redistricting advocate Rep. Natalie Figueroa.

Hall of Fame: Redistricting Leaders

Senate Joint Resolution 7, if passed by the NM Legislature, would have gone before voters on the 2024 general election ballot. The bill aimed to constitutionally establish an IRC to draw fair voting boundaries every ten years. The IRC would have handled the process for U.S. Congress, the NM Senate and House, and the NM Public Education Commission.

Ultimately, the resolution did not pass, but the Fair Districts New Mexico coalition plans to re-introduce a modified version in the next session.

If approved, this bill will finish the reform process begun in 2021 by establishing an independent commission rather than an advisory one. Current state law allowed NM House and Senate members to amend the maps created by the Citizen Redistricting Committee, which they did for various reasons.

The new bill would also enable New Mexico to align with best practices nationally:

• Deploy random selection, weighted for demographics and geography, ensuring the commission includes people from different political parties, ethnicities, and parts of the state. 
• 29 states have some type of redistricting commission or commissions.
• New Mexico’s proposed law aligns with the gold standard states of Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, and California -- with Ohio likely to join this year.
  
  

Most importantly, passage of this bill will advance voter trust. Hyper-partisanship and polarization have caused people to have less confidence in our election process than ever before.

Updates: NM Redistricting Reform
​View All

How can I help?

#1: Call Senate Rules' members!
Though the 2024 session has ended, our next bill will have its first hearing in the NM Senate Rules committee. Please call or email all committee members, urging them to vote yes (“Do Pass”) for establishing an independent redistricting commission. (If you happen to be a resident of the member’s district, please say so.)
 
Senator Katy M. Duhigg, D-Chair
Senator Leo Jaramillo, D-Vice Chair
Senator Greg Nibert, R-Ranking Member
Senator Gregory A. Baca, R
Senator Linda M. López, D
Senator Brenda G. McKenna, D
Senator Mark Moores, R
Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino, D
Senator Cliff R. Pirtle, R
Senator Elizabeth "Liz" Stefanics, D
Senator, Mimi Stewart, D

#2: Join our mailing list
And tell your friends to sign up too. You will receive only updates on redistricting reform. We don't sell your name to other causes or to political parties.

#3: Call, text and email your lawmakers
Tell them you believe legislators should not be drawing their own districts. Some lawmakers believe the voters want legislators to retain map-drawing authority. Tell them they are mistaken. 

Supporters of Independent Redistricting

Supporters recruited by ​Fair Districts New Mexico

In addition to support from voters statewide, the creation of an IRC is is endorsed by over forty state and national organizations from across the political spectrum – ranging from the conservative Save our Western Way of Life, to the Adelante Progressive Caucus, to New Mexico Open Elections (advocating for Independent voters). Lead organizations engaged in the Fair Districts New Mexico coalition include the League of Women Voters of New Mexico, Election Reformers Network, Common Cause New Mexico, and New Mexico First.

• ​Adelante Progressive Caucus
• American Association of University Women (AAUW), NM 
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) NM
• Brennan Center for Justice
• Central New Mexico Democrats
• Common Cause New Mexico
• Election Reformers Network
• Green Party of the Albuquerque Metro Area
• Green Party of New Mexico
• Indivisible Las Cruces
• Indivisible Albuquerque
• Indivisible Rio Grande
• Indivisible Sandoval County
• Indivisible Santa Fe
• Indivisible SOS Santa Fe
• International District Healthy Communities Coalition
• League of Women Voters of New Mexico
• League of Women Voters, U.S. 
• Natl. Assoc.for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Doña Ana County

• Native American Democratic Caucus of NM
• Native American Voter Alliance (NAVA) Education Project
• New Mexico Black Voters Collaborative 
• New Mexico Chamber of Commerce
• New Mexico Democratic Black Caucus 
• New Mexico Chamber of Commerce 
• New Mexico Ethics Watch 
• New Mexico First
• New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (NMFOG)
• New Mexico Open Elections 
• New Mexico State Auditor, Brian S. Colón, Esq. 
• Princeton Gerrymandering Project
• Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), Central New Mexico
• Represent Us New Mexico 
• Republican National Hispanic Assembly NM
• Retake Our Democracy 
• Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce
• Rural Caucus of the Democratic Party of New Mexico  
• Save Our Western Way of Life
• ​Vecinos United