The seven members of the state’s redistricting committee are set, as the state prepares to do its decennial redistricting process.
The Legislature passed a bill to set up a redistricting commission earlier this year.
Legislative leaders and the state ethics commission selected the members of the redistricting committee.
The ethics commission picked retired state Supreme Court Justice Edward L. Chavez as chair last week.
It was required by law to choose a retired state supreme court justice or appeals court judge as the chair according to the redistricting committee law.
The committee could only have three members with the same political party and members could not have changed their party registration in the previous two years.
The law said the redistricting committee would have to adopt three maps for the congressional race, state house, state senate and other state offices that require redistricting every ten years.
The maps will be created after at least six public meetings with public testimony on redistricting.
After the committee creates the three maps, the Legislature will consider the maps, though they do not necessarily have to adopt any of the maps. The committee’s proposed maps would be put into consideration in the same manner as suggestions from interim committee hearings.
The ethics commission also chose State Demographer Robert Rhatigan and educator Joaquin Sanchez.
Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart chose former state senator Lisa Curtis, who is also a trial attorney from New Mexico, while Senate Minority Leader Greg Baca chose Albuquerque attorney Christopher Saucedo.
Speaker of the House Brian Egolf picked former Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, who served in the Legislature for 24 years before losing a reelection bid in 2016.
House Minority Leader Jim Townsend chose former state Republican Party of New Mexico chairman Ryan Cangiolosi for a position on the committee.
