What goes on at the Capitol during a legislative session sometimes resembles Kabuki Theater. The theatrical speeches and high-flown rhetoric often exaggerate or magnify the debates.

Alongside the theatrical is the more serious, workmanlike Capitol, with its behind-closed-doors meetings, long hours, and side conversations among lawmakers that, at times, are deeply substantive.

Whether the New Mexico Legislature is involved in mostly theatrics or hard work is a question Gov. Susana Martinez has raised over the past 10 days of this special session.

The first-term Republican governor has criticized the Legislature for not taking up issues other than redistricting, such as repealing the state's driver's license law and banning social promotion in the third grade, two of her biggest priorities.

Legislative leaders have responded that the Legislature is tackling one of its most important duties — redrawing boundaries for congressional and legislative districts — a subject about which most lawmakers care deeply because of how their districts might be affected.

On Thursday, glimpses of both sides of the Capitol were on display Thursday.

The theatrics erupted early Thursday on the floor of the House of Representatives.

All special session, some GOP lawmakers in the House have repeated the governor's mantra: The Legislature isn't working hard enough.

So when news surfaced Thursday that several GOP lawmakers had snuck out Wednesday afternoon to play a round at the Santa Fe Country Club golf course, Democrats seized on the news as an example of Republican hypocrisy.

"Evidently, we have a few Republicans that are out playing golf instead of being here watching and seeing how they can form their districts," quipped House Speaker Ben Luján, D-Nambé, referring to redistricting.

GOP Rep. Paul Bandy of Aztec, and one of the duffers, shot back that Republicans already had settled on a redistricting plan, "so if you Democrats agree on something to do, we can do something."

Luján couldn't resist a parting shot.

"We wish you well out at the golf course," the speaker said. "We'll keep working over here."

As that exchange took place, Gov. Martinez was hosting a meeting in her fourth-floor office with several lawmakers. Since the session began, Sept. 6, in fact, Martinez has met with legislators from both political parties to lobby them on her issues.

Significant portions of her day are taken up in such meetings, Martinez said.

"We'll have met with 90 percent of the legislators by Monday," she said. As of Thursday, Martinez had met with 60 percent of the lawmakers in the House and 80 percent of state senators, her spokesman said.

Some meetings last 20 to 30 minutes while others, "depending on whether it's a bigger group, may last up to an hour," Martinez said. Two of her lawmaker meetings Thursday each lasted an hour, she added.

Chief of Staff Keith Gardner usually sits in. Sometimes, he is accompanied by Martinez's policy chief.

"We talk about the bills. What's on the (special session) agenda," Martinez said, adding that the driver's license and social promotion bills often come up for discussion.

The Governor's Office has said lawmakers aren't working hard enough. And scheduling the meetings with legislators sometimes can prove difficult because lawmakers aren't in the building, Gardner said.

"On occasion, we call and we hear 'I'm at work,'" Gardner said. He declined to name names.

Around 3 p.m. Thursday, 23 of 112 spots reserved for state lawmakers were empty in the parking garage beneath the Capitol. It was unclear where those lawmakers were, if perhaps they left to grab a late lunch, meet with constituents, or put in a quick game of golf.

It is the case that if a lawmaker isn't assigned to one of the committees that are meeting, or is not in legislative leadership, they might have some downtime, several lawmakers said.

But some lawmakers said a lack of committee work doesn't mean you're not working.

Working on redistricting is akin to being in school, said Sen. John Sapien, D-Corrales.

You might spend three hours in classes, but if you want good grades, you study several hours each day, he said.

Sapien said he spent six hours one day after a floor session reading various redistricting plans.

Beyond studying maps, many lawmakers talk among themselves. In these side conversations, lawmakers listen for the latest news on how the plans affect their districts, or try to wangle a deal with another legislator on the boundaries of their districts, lawmakers said.

Paranoia is high, one lawmaker said, because everyone is afraid to lose out in redistricting.

That's why getting an agreement on a redistricting plan can take discussions, more discussions and still more discussions, legislators said.

For example, on Wednesday night, Democrats in the House met behind closed doors for nearly four hours, hashing out their differences on a House redistricting plan. It wasn't the House Democrats' first caucus, only the latest of several.

On Thursday, Senate Democrats emerged with their own redistricting plan, but only after a behind-closed-doors meeting that lasted several hours and several previous caucuses.

Senate Republicans presented their plan earlier in this week.

Contact Trip Jennings at 986-3050 or at tjennings@sfnewmexican.com.