The Roundhouse in Santa Fe (Photo by Peter St. Cyr)
The battle over redrawing New Mexico’s political districts is coming later this year, and the Santa Fe Reporter is out with a comprehensive article examining the issue.
Here’s how the newspaper sets the stage:
“Despite Republican gains in the state House of Representatives during the November 2010 elections, the New Mexico Legislature is still dominated by Democrats. But Republican Gov. Susana Martinez will have the power to veto any redistricting plan that doesn’t give equal consideration to GOP interests.
“Veterans of the redistricting process say it’s consistently fraught with political infighting—not just between the two parties, but also among members of the same party.”
The Reporter points out what Martinez told NMPolitics.net about redistricting during the election:
“I support the implementation of an independent redistricting commission. We have seen in New Mexico, as in other states, that the redistricting process can be very contentious and almost completely driven by politics. Too often, politicians gerrymander districts to protect incumbents and the interests of their political party. It has been accurately said that this has the effect of politicians choosing their voters, rather than voters choosing their representatives.
“I would support a structure similar to the one proposed last legislative session, with equal representation on the commission by citizen members of the majority and minority parties. Such an independent citizens commission would help restore confidence in the process with the public, reduce the likelihood of costly court battles, and ensure the boundary lines of districts for the legislature and Congress are fairly drawn.”
Want to know more? Click here to read the article.