Mario Jimenez
Equal representation is the cornerstone of our democracy. Nowhere is this principle more important than in the redrawing of election district lines every decade. Federal law requires that electoral districts have substantially equal populations, so voters in one district do not have more — or less — power than others. [READ MORE]

Albuquerque Journal
SANTA FE – While New Mexico recorded modest overall population growth over the last decade, the southern New Mexico-based 2nd Congressional District grew at a slightly faster pace than the state’s two other congressional districts. [READ MORE]

August 13, 2021
Associated Press: SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico has retained its title as the nation’s most heavily Hispanic state, with 47.7% of respondents to the 2020 census identifying ancestry linked to Latin America and other Spanish-speaking areas. The Census Bureau on Thursday released new demographic details culled from the census. [READ MORE]

Silver City Daily Press
The seven-member Citizen Redistricting Committee established by the state Redistricting Act signed into law earlier this year held its first public meeting in southwest New Mexico on Thursday — the same day the U.S. Census Bureau dropped a raft of new data from the 2020 Census count showing that rural populations declined in many parts of the state. [READ MORE]

Santa Fe New Mexican Editorial

Members of the Citizen Redistricting Committee have been busy in recent weeks, meeting across New Mexico to discuss how districts for the state House, Senate, Public Education Commission and U.S. Congress should be drawn.
It’s a difficult task on a tight deadline.

Redistricting — when it is fair — has a number of goals in mind. Population in all districts should be roughly equal so each person’s vote has the same weight. Districts should keep communities of interest together as much as is possible. Minority voting rights must be protected; districts should be contiguous and compact. It’s important to protect communities of interest, defined as groups with tradition, culture and interests in common. [READ MORE]