SENATE BILL 41

50th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first special session, 2011

INTRODUCED BY

Linda M. Lopez

AN ACT

RELATING TO REDISTRICTING; PROVIDING FOR THE ADJUSTMENT OF CERTAIN PRECINCT BOUNDARIES IN BERNALILLO COUNTY.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     SECTION 1. TEMPORARY PROVISION--ADJUSTMENT OF PRECINCT BOUNDARIES.--

          A. The legislature finds that:

                (1) New Mexico has a guideline that a precinct is the building block of a district;

                (2) the Precinct Boundary Adjustment Act requires precinct boundaries to coincide with existing political boundaries whenever possible;

                (3) moving the current precinct boundary of Bernalillo county precinct 93 to coincide with the northern boundary of the Pueblo of Isleta would comply with the requirements of the Precinct Boundary Adjustment Act;

                (4) there are currently no persons residing in the area between Bernalillo county precinct 258, which shares its boundary with Bernalillo county precinct 93 in the current configuration, and the northern boundary of the Pueblo of Isleta;

                (5) moving the boundary of Bernalillo county precinct 93 will therefore not affect the population of any electoral district created during the 2011 redistricting cycle;

                (6) planned development of Mesa del Sol, which is located in the area of Bernalillo county precinct 93 north of the northern boundary of the Pueblo of Isleta, will result in a large increase in the population of this area, which could dilute the voting strength of the pueblo over the next ten years; and

                (7) removing the area containing the Mesa del Sol development from Bernalillo county precinct 93 and placing it in an adjoining precinct will preserve the status of Bernalillo county precinct 93 as a pueblo precinct.

          B. Pursuant to Section 1-3-13 NMSA 1978, the secretary of state shall direct the board of county commissioners of Bernalillo county to take the following actions by resolution of the board no later than January 1, 2012:

                (1) transfer that portion of current Bernalillo county precinct 93 that is located east of state highway 47 and north of the northern boundary of the Pueblo of Isleta to any adjacent precincts and adjust those precinct boundaries accordingly; and

                (2) adjust the northern boundary of Bernalillo county precinct 93 to coincide with the northern boundary of the Pueblo of Isleta running east of state highway 47 to its intersection with the western boundary of Bernalillo county precinct 552.

          C. For the purposes of Subsection D of Section 1-3-12 NMSA 1978 and state and congressional districts drawn following the 2010 federal decennial census, the changes to precinct boundaries required by this section shall be deemed to have been revised and approved as of August 31, 2011.

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