rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/petition/end-prison-gerrymandering-in-new-mexico?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-petition-area-end-prison-gerrymandering-in-new-mexico' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> Common Cause New Mexico https://actionnetwork.org/groups/common-cause-new-mexico https://actionnetwork.org//images/generic_facebook.jpg The Supreme Court requires state- and local governments to update their electoral districts once per decade to ensure that each district contains the same population, which gives each resident equal representation in government. However, the U.S. Census Bureau counts people where they are incarcerated, not where they are from, so when jurisdictions rely on raw Census data which does not reflect their real populations, democracy suffers. New Mexico law says a prison cell is not a residence: “[A] person does not gain or lose residence solely by reason of his presence or absence . . . while confined in a public prison.” - New Mexico Statutes §1-1-7(D). Frequently, prisons and correctional facilities are located in rural areas but the majority of the prison population ordinarily resides in more urban and suburban areas of the state. By including incarcerated persons in these more rural districts, power is inherently shifted away from more populous areas toward the rural counties and districts. Common Cause New Mexico and the ACLU of New Mexico are working to ensure that every New Mexican has fair and equal representation in government. Join us in urging lawmakers and the new Citizen Redistricting Committee to prevent prison gerrymandering before district maps that will be effective for the next 10 years are drawn. https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/end-prison-gerrymandering-in-new-mexico