Republican Commissioners Vote for Gerrymandered Map

Democratic Party of Sandoval County
Contact: Alexandria Piland, Chair
                 505-350-6590
                 chair@sandovaldemocrats.org

For Immediate Release Dec. 10, 2021

Rio Rancho –The Sandoval County Commission’s Republicans showed their true colors at last night’s County Commission meeting where they adopted a commission redistricting plan that splits communities and gerrymandered district configurations.  

Most egregiously, the leaders of sovereign nations in Sandoval County were not consulted, and all but one Native American sovereign nation was crammed into one district – notwithstanding that every Native American nation in Sandoval County voiced opposition to this move.

The Republican-led Sandoval County Commission hired a partisan former state legislator to create this map.  This consultant then proceeded to create maps without once consulting with any stakeholders – not with one Native American nation, not with one locally elected official, and not with any people or organizations in the unincorporated areas.  Especially galling is the Republicans on the Commission and the Republican map maker demonstrated that they believe they know what is best for everyone in the county, especially for all of Sandoval County’s Native American sovereign nations.

Republican leaders in Sandoval County are engaged in a raw power grab.  They do not believe that voters should be entrusted to make their own decisions because they would then have to compete for our votes with only their weak and destructive policy ideas. 

They have insulted and denigrated the voters of Sandoval County, and their concern is not for democracy but increasing their own power, for nothing more than for power’s sake.

The voters of Sandoval County will remember the actions taken by the Republican Commissioners.  They will remember the Native American sovereign nations were not consulted, municipalities were not consulted, the Hispanic community was diluted and split, and that Commissioners Jay Block, David Heil, and Michael Meek simply do not care to have fair elections in our county.