Redistricting Matters

UPDATE: City of Albuquerque Redistricting Process well underway. Two public meetings of Redistricting Committee remain: June 8 and June 29 on Zoom. https://www.cabq.gov/council/projects/current-projects/2022-city-council-redistricting-process

FYI: The letter to the editor was published in the December 7th edition of the Albuquerque Journal.

Post-census redistricting has begun. There is a somewhat hierarchical list of requirements for good redistricting: population balance (one person, one vote), protection and representation of under-represented and oppressed groups, district contiguity and compactness, party and incumbent neutrality, and representation for communities of interest. A former, long-time state representative once said that politics is about the division or distribution of resources. Basically, who gets what and how much. It is important for the breadth of diversity of a state, county, or city to be represented in the decision makers. With these concepts in mind, a coalition of groups (including GPAMA and GPNM), led by Fair Districts New Mexico, supports the adoption of redistricting maps from the sets of maps adopted by the Citizen Redistricting Committee. We strongly encourage you to write letters to the editor of your local newspapers, print and electronic, and to contact your legislators directly to encourage adoption of one of the CRC maps for Congress, State Senate, State House, and Public Education Commission.

Let’s not forget counties, cities, and school districts. Bernalillo and Sandoval Counties are nearing the end of their adoption processes with the Sandoval County Commission generating controversy by considering a party-centered map. Cities, towns, and school districts–with odd-numbered year elections–will undertake redistricting in 2022.

GPAMA sent a letter to the editors of news publications in Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance, and Valencia Counties. Read or download it below.