After Democrats step down, NM redistricting task force to adjust its mission

SANTA FE — A New Mexico fair redistricting task force is adjusting its mission after two Democratic lawmakers stepped down from the task force and another expressed misgivings about its work.

The New Mexico Redistricting Task Force announced this week it would not disband, but no longer planned to vote on possibly updating its recommendations on independent redistricting.

Instead, the task force plans to hold two webinars this month as an educational panel. The webinars will focus on redistricting efforts happening around the nation and New Mexico’s history with the issue.

“What began as a genuine effort at collaboration to address voter suppression and promote fairness has been undermined,” said Hannah Burling, the president of the New Mexico League of Women Voters. “Without full representation, the Task Force can no longer fulfill its promise of fairness and balance.”

Two Democratic lawmakers resigned from the task force last month, citing a Republican-led push to redraw political boundary lines in Texas and other GOP-controlled states.

The decision by Sen. Harold Pope Jr. and Rep. Cristina Parajón, both of Albuquerque, drew criticism from at least one Republican member of the task force.

Following that development, one of the two Democrats still left on the task force expressed concerns about the partisan imbalance and called for the task force to be disbanded.

Sen. Angel Charley, D-Acoma Pueblo, also expressed concerns about the lack of voices from New Mexico pueblos on the task force, while describing it as a “betrayal of the public trust.”

Redistricting has emerged as a hot-button issue around the nation, as President Donald Trump’s administration has urged some Republican-controlled states to redraw their congressional maps to create more GOP-leaning seats.

In response, California has launched its own effort to redraw congressional boundary lines to create more Democratic-leaning seats.

In New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has indicated she would not support a mid-decade redistricting push. Democrats already control all three of the state’s congressional seats, under maps that were redrawn by the Democratic-controlled Legislature in 2021.

The New Mexico Redistricting Task Force is not an official legislative committee, as it was launched in 2019 by the League of Women Voters to advocate for an independent redistricting commission. Such a commission would be empowered to redraw the state’s political boundary lines based on once-per-decade U.S. census data.

Sen. Natalie Figueroa, D-Albuquerque, who has sponsored independent redistricting proposals in past sessions targeted specifically at legislative seats, said Friday she plans to continue the effort despite the national tumult.

“The discussion is important given the national context,” Figueroa told the Journal, while expressing concern about voters’ views about the politically driven redistricting efforts.

“In the long term, that’s not going to be sustainable in our democracy” said Figueroa.