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2011 CVNM Scorecard - now On-Line(click here)
This year’s scorecard has some exciting new features! Now almost-exclusively online, the 2011 scorecard is a cutting-edge, interactive tool that will help you find out if your elected officials are representing YOUR values.
CVNM’s 2011 Legislative Scorecard provides a state-of-the-state on environmental protection in New Mexico. Don’t miss the full recap (to date) on Gov. Martinez’s assault on our environmental safeguards. And you will want to read about the Martinez administration’s disturbing new approach to rulemaking in our guest feature.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Read about the committed work of our environmental champions in Green Deeds and Duds, and some of the highlights of the session.
The next few months will determine the next ten years
ResourcesYou would think that everyone would pay attention to an issue as important as this one… It affects all of the decisions made by the New Mexico legislature and our Congressional delegation. All of the decisions that affect YOU:
- how your children are educated
- your access to critical health care services
- how your tax dollars are spent
- protection of clean air and drinking water
- and much, much more…
All of these decisions are made by the people who represent us. The people who represent us are determined through the process known as redistricting—where all legislative, congressional, and certain commission districts are redrawn by the state legislature to reflect changes in population. It only happens once every ten years, which means we will live with the outcome of this year’s redistricting process until the elections in 2022.
You would think that everyone would be paying attention to a process as important as this… But you would be wrong.
How much have you seen on the news, heard on the radio, or read in the papers about redistricting in New Mexico?
Most of us only hear crickets.
Politicians pay a LOT of attention to redistricting, because it dramatically affects the prospects for their re-election, as well as which political party will control the two legislative chambers and the Congressional delegation.
So the politicians are paying attention, but who else?
The major media outlets have been largely absent from the four public redistricting hearings so far (Santa Fe, Clovis, Roswell and Las Cruces). And at those hearings, only a handful of individuals spoke during the public comment portion of the agenda.
That’s unfortunate.
But Conservation Voters New Mexico has been at every hearing. And we’ll be there every step of the way, because redistricting matters to everything we hold dear.
In September, the state legislature will convene in special session to redraw all of the districts—after a total of 11 public meetings by the redistricting committee are held around the state throughout July and August.
If the state legislature passes redistricting laws that are legally sound, will Governor Susana Martinez sign or veto them? Time and time again, New Mexico’s redistricting laws have wound up in court—costing tens of millions of precious tax dollars. This is a shame, and everyone involved in the redistricting process should work hard to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
The legislature should only craft redistricting plans that protect constitutional rights and pass legal muster, and Governor Martinez should sign those plans. In these days of tight budgets and funding cuts to education, health care and the environment, we can’t afford to waste money on reckless partisan politics.
This is the message New Mexicans should be sending to our elected officials, and we hope you will get involved. If you’d like more information on how you can communicate your views on redistricting (there are oh-so-many ways!), please contact Leanne Leith, our Political Director, at Resources email or 505.992.8683. She would be happy to hear from you!
Remember: once every ten years, politicians decide how you will be represented for the next decade. Make sure they listen to you.
Resources:
Exceptional informational resources are available to anyone who wants to know more or get involved in the redistricting process. The Brennan Center has published a very helpful and accessible “A Citizen’s Guide to Redistricting”, which you can find by clicking here.
Comprehensive information on the New Mexico redistricting process, including the redistricting committee agendas and work plans, as well as the concepts and supporting information for all of the current proposals for new districts, is available here.
CVNM Defeats 100% Anti-Conservation Bills
In the 2011 Legislative Session, CVNM maintained its record of defeating 100% of anti-conservation bills, making 2011 the 7th consecutive year of defeating all environmental rollbacks. CVNM lobbied on over 100 bills and helped to defeat more than 60 measures.
Read about CVNM's legislative success