Albuquerque Journal
Ask Mesa Del Sol residents in southern Bernalillo County what they have in common with folks who live in Jal and Cloverdale. Or residents in the northwest corner of Albuquerque what their common interests are with folks who live in Raton and Wagon Mound. [READ MORE] The first phase of the New Mexico Citizen Redistricting Committee’s (CRC) public engagement process is complete. Based on information from the CRC, over 1,000 New Mexicans participated in-person or on-line during the first phase of public hearings and nearly 100 people provided testimony.
The second phase of outreach will start on September 16, 2021 when the CRC releases their concept maps during a virtual meeting. That will be followed by a series of public meetings to solicit feedback on the concept maps. In advance of the second phase of public meetings, residents have an opportunity to submit maps for the CRC’s consideration by clicking on this link. The free mapping program can also be accessed through the official CRC page: https://www.nmredistricting.org. Districts maps for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, State Senate, State House and Public Education Commission should be complete statewide maps, i.e. showing all districts. For residents who would rather provide guidance to the CRC on geographic or demographic attributes they would like to have considered, written comments can be provided through the same portals https://portal.newmexico-mapping.org To be sure your voice is heard, be sure to have your maps and comments submitted by Labor Day, September 6, 2021. The public will have an opportunity to comment on the CRC’s proposed maps starting on September 28 at the first of seven public hearings being held around the state. Ahtza Dawn Chavez, Huong Nguyen, Itzayana Banda
The reapportionment data from the 2020 census is beginning to roll out, and while most of the attention was skewed toward New Mexico’s lack of population growth, there is much to celebrate for our families and for those who were part of this successful collaborative effort to count every New Mexican. According to the data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, New Mexico beat expectations in the 2020 census count. Why? Because together, we were able to overcome a long list of challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. And most importantly, New Mexico successfully averted a census undercount – a situation that would have cost the state hundreds of millions in federal funding for the next 10 years. [READ MORE] August 16, 2021
NCSL: State courts will play an outsize role in this redistricting cycle, and their actions will most likely determine which party controls the U.S. House in 2022, redistricting and elections analyst David Wasserman says. New Mexico Senator Daniel Ivey-Soto is featured in an interview with David Wasserman. To watch the interview [CLICK HERE] In 11 states—Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin—the balance of power on state supreme courts could determine where congressional lines are drawn, Wasserman told a redistricting session at NCSL Base Camp 2021. Las Cruces Sun News
New Mexico's citizen redistricting committee convened in Las Cruces Thursday and intimated Congressional District 2 could shrink under new district maps the group is tasked with drawing for potential adoption. The seven-member committee was created with bipartisan legislation during the 2021 legislative session to limit partisanship in the redistricting process, which will be based off local U.S. Census data released Aug. 12. [READ MORE] |