SENATE EXECUTIVE MESSAGE NO. 5
The Honorable Richard Romero and
Members of the Senate
Honorable President and Members of the Senate:
I have this day VETOED and am returning SENATE BILL
34, as amended, enacted by the Forty-Fifth Legislature, First Special Session,
2001.
I had
hoped that my previous veto of the proposed Senate redistricting plan would
have provided sufficient guidance to the Legislature to craft an acceptable
redrawing of Senate district boundaries.
Yet once again, this plan fails to honor and protect the interests of
the people of
None of the suggestions I provided in my
previous message were honored in this plan.
For example, although this bill increases the voting-age Native American
population of District 2, it is not enough of an increase to provide for the
likely election of a Native American senator.
More importantly, the plan still fails to create a second Native
American district with a Native American voting-age population of 65 percent or
greater. In fact, it takes the existing
District 4 from above the 65 percent mark and drags it below this
percentage. Likewise, this plan makes no
effort to raise District 22 above 65 percent, a certainly feasible and
worthwhile change.
I am thoroughly disappointed
that the Legislature was unable to employ my previous message to pass a fair
and competitive plan that protects all of
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Senate Bill 34
the voter and remembered only
partisanship and egotistical bickering.
The people of
Sincerely,
Gary E. Johnson
Governor
RECEIVED FROM THE OFFICE OF THE
GOVERNOR:
Time: _____________________ By:_____________________________
Secretary of State
Date ______________________
Time:______________________
Date_______________________ By:_____________________________
Chief Clerk of the Senate
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