Making Democracy Work for 101 Years

Statement by the League of Women Voters NM on the redistricting process.

December 16, 2021:

The League of Women Voters of New Mexico is profoundly disappointed in the New Mexico Senate. The Senate Districts maps as presented only pay lip service to the very important work done by the Citizens Redistricting Committee. This is an example of “buddymandering” in which incumbents have been protected at the cost of fairness and equity. The process has been conducted with little to no transparency.

We reiterate the sentiments of the NM Foundation for Open Government. They, too, believe that New Mexicans deserve better.

LWVNM Signs Letter Opposing Hydrogen Hub Act

December 12, 2021: LWVNM has joined a coalition of organizations opposing the Hydrogen Hub Act.

Read the letter sent to New Mexico's Environment Department and Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department.

Citizen Redistricting Committee

The Citizen Redistricting Committee (CRC) has released their recommended maps, which now go to the state legislature for a vote. For all the latest updates go to the Fair Districts for New Mexico website.

LWVNM Advocacy Statement on Redistricting (DOC format).

Video on Citizen Redistricting Committee

April 29, 2021:
In a webinar on redistricting, Justice Chavez gave a brief summary of the Citizen Redistricting Committee created by SB304. Peter Wattson discussed other states with similar redistricting models, and gave advice on what we can do to prepare even before the CRC starts.

Watch the video.

Documents from the webinar:

• Summary: New Mexico Citizen Redistricting Committee - Created by SB304 (also available as a Word file)
• Citizens Redistricting Committee: Comparison to Commissions in Other States
• Slides from the April 29th Webinar
• Redistricting Commissions for Congressional and Legislative Plans
• Redistricting Principles
• Evaluating Redistricting Maps: an example from Minnesota

Another excellent recent article on redistricting is Politico Magazine: Is Gerrymandering About to Become More Difficult?.

LWVNM Approves Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Safety Position

July 17, 2021:

LWVNM approved the Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Safety Position during the April 2021 Convention following a four year study with local league consensus meetings. LWVNM seeks concurrence from state leagues where spent nuclear fuel is stored and offered a July 17, 2021 presentation nationally featuring two LWVNM Directors, both Nuclear Engineers, discussing safety aspects and concerns. This recording is the presentation by Karen Douglas and Bobbi Merryman for those unable to attend July 17th.

Watch the video here: Presentation on Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Safety

Presentations from the State Convention

April 24-25, 2021:

Two speakers from our State Convention have generously allowed us to post the slides from their excellent talks.

Before and After the Pandemic: The Future of the New Mexico Economy by Jim Peach (PDF, 1.2M)

The Future of Democracy, by Christa Slaton (PowerPoint, 628K).

For older news items, see the LWVNM News Archive.