League of Women Voters of New Mexico

New Redistricting Project

August 1, 2019:

The LWVNM has received a generous grant grant to lead an effort to ensure fair and transparent redistricting following the 2020 census. As part of that effort we have created a separate web site. Please visit fairdistrictsnm.org. The site is under development but already has links to valuable resources on redistricting.

NM should work now to implement redistricting reform

July 30, 2019:

Guest column in the Albuquerque Journal by Hannah Burling, President, LWVNM: NM should work now to implement redistricting reform.

SCOTUS Decisions on Census and Gerrymandering

June 28, 2019:

The LWVNM is pleased that the Supreme Court has not approved the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. Instead, they sent the issue back to the Department of Commerce, leaving the final decision up in the air. We hope that reason prevails and the question will not be added to the census. It would result in a serious undercount in New Mexico, costing the state $3,700 for every resident who goes uncounted, potentially $780 million over ten years. We hope the courts and the administration do the right thing.

The LWVNM is disappointed that in today's ruling on fair redistricting the U.S. Supreme Court did not take the opportunity to set guidelines for fair redistricting in all the states. As Justice Kagan stated in her dissent, "the partisan gerrymanders here debased and dishonored our democracy, turning upside-down the core American idea that all governmental power derives from the people".

Despite the Supreme Court ruling, New Mexico policymakers still have the opportunity to follow the other 21 states that have acted to ensure that constituents get to choose their legislators rather than legislators choosing their constituents.

More details in the Press Release: LWVNM on the SCOTUS Decisions on Census and Gerrymandering.

Video: Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard Speaks at LWVNM Convention Banquet

May 29, 2019:

The LWVNM convention, held in May in Los Alamos, was a great success. Besides talks by Sara Scott, Christine Chandler, and Liz Bander, our LWVUS liaison, we were treated to a half-hour talk by our own Stephanie Garcia Richard, the new State Land Commissioner, at our banquet. She speaks eloquently about the wins and losses that have occurred since her election and what she hopes for the future. Enjoy her talk and the questions: Stephanie Garcia Richard Speaks at LWVNM Convention Banquet.

LWVNM Elects Hannah Burling as New State President

May 25, 2019:

At the League's biennial convention, held in Los Alamos, Hannah Burling of Santa Fe has been elected to a two-year term as president of the LWVNM. The convention also approved a position on the transfer of federal public lands after a two-year study on the subject, and approved a study on the selection of New Mexico judges in limited jurisdiction courts.

Read more: LWVNM Elects Hannah Burling as New State President.

Election reform is essential for future of democracy

April 20, 2019:

The League of Women Voters of New Mexico thanks Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., for introducing the For the People Act in the U.S. Senate. The League believes the American people need a democracy that works for them, not for special and entrenched interests.

Read the details: Election reform is essential for future of democracy.

LWVNM Deplores Gutting Major Funding Bill

March 17, 2019:

The League of Women Voters of New Mexico deplores the New Mexico Senate action that gutted HB6. It is time for New Mexico to generate the revenues needed to fund essential services, including early childhood and those revenues should come from those who can most afford it.

The version of the bill passed by the New Mexico House would have set New Mexico on the path to a broader, more reliable source of funding. But the New Mexico Senate removed much of the revenue generation and eliminated almost all of the fairness features of the House version.

More details: LWVNM Deplores Gutting the Major Funding Bill.

League of Women Voters of New Mexico Decries Vote to Defeat HB 51, Repeal of Abortion Prohibition Law

March 15, 2019:

The League of Women Voters is deeply disappointed that the New Mexico Senate voted against HB 51, which would have repealed the outdated law making abortion a crime. New Mexico women deserve to know that a full range of healthcare will remain available to them even if Roe v. Wade is overturned. The League believes that in a pluralistic society such as ours the individual's right to make reproductive choices, including abortion, must be affirmed.

More details: League of Women Voters of New Mexico Decries Vote to Defeat HB 51, Repeal of Abortion Prohibition Law.

For older news items, see the LWVNM News Archive.