Lawmakers push to use redistricting commission

A new effort is underway to hand over New Mexico’s post2020 redistricting process to an independent commission in a push to make Statehouse races more competitive.

Republican Sen. Mark Moores of Albuquerque says the current redistricting process that is led by lawmakers discourages competitive elections and fosters political apathy as incumbent legislators cling to territorial advantages.

He and two Democrats in the House and Senate are pushing for a constitutional amendment to create a commission to help redraw congressional and state legislative districts following the 2020 census. Approval by the Legislature would send the proposal to voters in November general elections.

Sponsors of the measure say they see no major statewide partisan bias in the current district lines for legislative seats. Democrats dominate overall state voter registration rolls and hold a 38-32 majority in the House and a 26-16 advantage in the Senate.

At the same time, noncompetitive districts have made lawmakers less responsive to voters, said Rep. Carl Trujillo, D-Santa Fe, an amendment co-sponsor.

“They’ve made some extremely safe seats that are noncompetitive, thus allowing politicians to act in whatever way they chose rather than for the people as a whole,” he said Friday.

Thirteen states have commissions with primary responsibility for planning legislative districts, while 10 states rely on commissions to advise legislators or make decisions when legislators cannot agree, according to the National Conference of State Legislators.

Several proposals over the past decade to move New Mexico to a commission system have failed to gain traction in the Legislature.