Copyright © 2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE — A special session on redistricting careened into a political standoff late Wednesday, as minority Senate Republicans used a parliamentary maneuver to block a floor vote on a Democratic-backed map.

The late-night drama cast uncertainty on the possible end date of the special session, with Democrats facing the possibility of having to round up missing GOP senators or make political concessions.

Senate Minority Whip Craig Brandt, R-Rio Rancho, accused Democrats of breaking promises in the redistricting process.

“This map is a travesty to our state,” said Brandt, who made the motion for a “Call of the Senate,” which requires all unexcused senators to be brought into the chamber and for doors to be barred.

When one GOP senator — Sen. Crystal Diamond of Elephant Butte — could not be immediately tracked down, Senate Democratic floor leader Peter Wirth of Santa Fe ended the floor session without a vote, saying it would be resumed Thursday.

The Senate redistricting plan had been in limbo for several days this week after a proposed amendment unpairing two incumbent GOP senators was advanced by a Senate committee in defiance of a delicate consensus reached by more than 20 tribal groups.

But Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, said earlier Wednesday that Senate Democrats were planning to back away from the amendment after lengthy closed-door meetings with Native American leaders.

She also said top-ranking Democrats were able to reach an agreement with tribal leaders about minor changes to boundary lines in two Gallup-area Senate districts. Those districts are currently held by Sens. George Muñoz and Shannon Pinto, who are both Gallup Democrats.

“It’s really like a jigsaw puzzle — you move one line and you have to adjust three or four districts,” Stewart told the Journal.

While Native American leaders said they were willing to make minor changes to the Gallup-area districts, they have adamantly opposed changes to the tribal consensus plan when it comes to two other Senate districts — currently held by Senate GOP floor leader Greg Baca of Belen and Sen. Joshua Sanchez, R-Bosque.

Regis Pecos, a member of the Cochiti Tribal Council and former Cochiti Pueblo governor, gathered with other tribal leaders in a Roundhouse corridor after Wednesday’s fireworks in the Senate and exhorted them to stay strong.

“Our people deserve us to remain steadfast,” Pecos said.

Earlier in the day, he told reporters that protecting incumbents was not one of the priorities the independent Citizens Redistricting Committee was tasked with following in crafting maps for legislative consideration.

He also said tribal leaders were more inclined to walk away — as they did during a Sunday committee hearing — than compromise on maps that would dilute Native American voices and reduce their ability to elect legislators who would focus on fixing education inequalities and other priorities.

“These are sovereign nations and not special interest groups,” Pecos told reporters.

But Republicans, who are outnumbered in the Senate by a 26-15 margin, argued the new proposed Senate map would hurt New Mexico’s Hispanic population.

They also lodged similar criticism against a plan to redraw the boundary lines of the state’s low-profile Public Education Commission, which passed the Senate on a party-line vote.

“I will continue to object to these maps that are based on diluting the Hispanic population and ignoring the Hispanic population in the state,” Baca said.

Meanwhile, the leader of a New Mexico open government group raised concerns about the Senate’s commitment to transparency — or lack thereof — during its redistricting discussions.

Melanie Majors, the executive director of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, told Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, in a Wednesday letter that voters want to see a more open process.

“We request that all negotiations and deliberations regarding redistricting be conducted in an open and transparent manner that is accessible to the public,” Majors said in her letter.

She also pointed out the independent redistricting commission, which lawmakers created during this year’s 60-day session, held public meetings and gathered input in more than 20 cities and towns around New Mexico in the run-up to the special session.

Since the session began Dec. 6, legislators have already approved new political boundaries for New Mexico’s three congressional districts for the next decade. That proposal was awaiting approval from the governor on Wednesday.