 |
| Mary Jane Garcia |
Many constituents that I represent have raised their concern that nothing was done during the recent redistricting session and I believe they deserve a response. This year’s redistricting legislative session was expensive, contentious and has caused much disappointment to many New Mexicans there is no denying that. I and my Senate colleagues understand the frustration that the public has with the outcome of the session, especially when our constituents wonder why it took nineteen days to develop redistricting legislation that was ultimately vetoed by Governor Martinez.
The true story of the redistricting session is anything but nineteen wasted days of golfing and time spent not doing anything. The story of the redistricting session was one of preserving the sacred rights of equal representation and voting rights granted to us through the New Mexico Constitution and United States Constitution. It was a continuation of the fight that African Americans faced when they willfully met the gnashing of canine teeth, blasting of water cannons, burning of tear gas and pounding of police batons in Selma, Alabama all to guarantee the right to vote. It was the fight of the Native American, which for nearly 172 years, from the inception of our country, did not have the right to vote. It was the persistence of Hispanics fighting to not have their political voice diluted by clever gerrymandering of district lines. This story was the great modern day reminder of the sacrifice leading to the approval of women’s suffrage. Read full column here: News New Mexico
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment