Heather's day job: Defending American democracy

COMMENTARY BY HEATHER
Voters often ask me: What’s your day job? Short answer: I make my living strengthening American democracy.

What does that mean?

It means I work, every day, to help ensure our nation never experiences another January 6th. Nor any similarly motivated smaller riots in state capitols. It means I work to educate the media about how to accurately cover close or contested elections. My work also requires careful review of state laws across the country to make election administration trusted and impartial.

It means I advance fair redistricting, because I believe that partisan and racial gerrymandering undermine America's entire democratic foundation. The linked article is to one of my national columns, but this issue is very real to the people of Sandoval County, where the county Democratic Party and other plaintiffs are leading a court challenge to block Republican gerrymandering and potential violations to the Voting Rights Act.

Related: I’m proud of my efforts to pass the 2021 NM Redistricting Act – which for the first time codified in law that tribal boundaries should be considered in addition to municipal and county boundaries when drawing district lines. I believe New Mexico must finish the job by establishing a truly independent redistricting commission established free of political appointments.

There is more to my day-job, but you get the gist. Our is the nation that invented the modern democracy. We have to nurture that institution – and make sure it works for everyone. That’s the work I will continue doing everyday – before and after I’m elected your NM Senator.

Column by Heather Balas, published in June 2023 by The Fulcrum, a national publication focused on the repair of American democracy.