OPINION: Disband the task force: New Mexico deserves real democracy

Redistricting affects every aspect of our democracy. The maps we draw determine which communities have a voice in their government, whether competitive elections exist and how well elected officials reflect voters. As redistricting fights escalate nationwide, with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott bending to a president who claims he’s “entitled” to five more GOP House seats, the stakes for fair representation have never been higher.

For a short time, I was the only Democratic voting member left on Fair Districts for New Mexico’s Redistricting Task Force. (Rep. Cristina Parajón and Sen. Harold Pope Jr., both Albuquerque Democrats, quit the task force earlier this month citing a GOP-led push to redraw political boundary lines in Texas.) That changed with the addition of another Democratic colleague, a lawmaker intending to carry the very redistricting legislation itself. Yet even with her presence, the partisan balance remains skewed: Just two Democrats to four Republicans hold votes. In a state where Democrats are the majority, is that fair representation? And where is representation for independent voters, who make up a growing share of our electorate?

This task force wasn’t created by the Legislature or by voters. Convened outside the formal legislative process, we must ask: Who truly holds accountability here? As an elected official, my role isn’t to hold authority for myself, it’s to carry the voices of the people who entrusted me with their vote. That responsibility belongs to the people, through processes grounded in law, not to temporary task forces convened outside of it.

While the task force claims to reflect New Mexico, there is no Pueblo or Apache representation whatsoever. That absence is glaring in a state where Tribes, Nations and Pueblos exercise sovereignty and have long been harmed by boundaries that split and dilute their voice. If we aspire to fair representation, how can that promise be honored when entire communities are excluded?

The data being used as the basis for our discussions also raise serious concerns. We’re told it reflects broad consensus, yet it came from just 500 New Mexicans. More troubling, several respondents were cherry-picked from individuals involved in the last redistricting cycle. That isn’t a representative sample of over 2 million residents — it’s an echo chamber.

Transparency matters. I’ve been told these conversations are open, but meetings are closed to the public, and good luck finding recordings or reliable documentation online. If this process is meant to build trust, why does it feel so hard for voters to follow along?

In past redistricting cycles, citizen-drawn maps and public input were often sidelined, while final decisions were made by special interests behind closed doors. That is the opposite of transparency and accountability, and it is happening again albeit in a different setting.

This is not about blaming nonprofits or community advocates; they care deeply about democracy. But no nonprofit, however well-intentioned, should carry government’s responsibilities. That duty belongs to the people, through their elected representatives, and through processes that are transparent and grounded in law.

This process has been a betrayal of public trust. It is time to disband this task force until it can be rebuilt with fair representation and real transparency. At a moment when voting rights are under attack across the country, New Mexico cannot afford to waste its energy on a process that undermines democracy itself.

Angel Charley, D-Acoma, represents District 30 in the New Mexico Senate.