On January 22, the New Mexico House Rules Committee ruled that HB 135 cannot be considered in the 2026 session. Bills in even years can’t be considered unless the Rules Committee approves them, or unless they are budget bills, or bills on a subject for which the Governor has approved, or bills that had been vetoed in the preceding odd year. The bill would have cut the number of signatures for non-presidential independent candidates, and the non-presidential nominees of qualified minor parties, from 2% to 1% of the last gubernatorial vote.
It is frequently argued that partisan gerrymandering could be eliminated by an independent body drawing lines to allocate voters. You don’t hear about an independent body to allocate candidates access to the ballot.
Both simply cloak partisan domination of voters to entrench incumbents.
Voters have the right to choose for whom to vote as well which Congressional district in which to vote in their state of residence.
Open general election ballots and self-districting empower voters of incumbents.