We have good reasons to hope that redistricting in Michigan would not be the same sort of gerrymandered catastrophe in 2021 as it was in 2011 when the GOP had a free hand, but we are not yet home free. Michigan Democrats are urgently needed to participate in the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) process to ensure the creation of the fairest possible boundaries for state and federal elections between now and 2032.
Michigan is a purple-blue state, not the red state that the GOP’s current domination of the state house and senate would suggest. The 2018 campaign led by volunteers with Voters Not Politicians to create a non-partisan redistricting process appealed across the aisle, and Prop 2 won with 61% of the vote. Still, the successful completion of the effort to draft equitable district boundaries in 2021 is not a done deal. YOUR voice and testimony are needed during the remaining days of public hearings sponsored by the MICRC to make sure we get the fair maps we have fought so hard to secure.
The time to speak up is drawing to a close, but there are public meetings scheduled THIS WEEK that are open for citizen testimony either in person or via Zoom.
- Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 9/27-9/29: Cadillac Place on Grand Blvd. in Detroit.
- Thursday, 9/30: Oakland University in Rochester Hills at Oakland University.
- Friday, 10/1: Marriott Hotel in Troy
Sign up via the this Google form sponsored by the MI AFL-CIO Fair Maps Project to get some tips in advance of your presentation.
Read this official meeting announcement about Monday’s meeting to understand the public comment process for in-person attendees and to register for remote participation.
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Key MI redistricting resources for quick reference
NOTE: This post was edited on Wednesday, September 29 to include more MICRC details and to upload the YouTube video of the webinar hosted that evenng by the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan.
I hope that this long and detailed post can help clarify routes for participating in a complicated but essential project. My aim is to encourage more Michigan Democrats to feel more confident about taking action. The Commission and many civic organizations have worked hard to promote widespread participation. We who support the creation of fair districts must ensure that we are not outnumbered by our opponents in this part of the process.
Why Redistricting Matters
The stakes of redistricting could not be higher, both for us as a state and all of us as a country. Michigan is much bluer than the composition of the state house and senate would indicate. The GOP’s deliberate drawing of district boundaries in 2011 to give them an edge resulted in their taking an eight-seat lead in the state House in 2012 even though only 50% of MI voters chose Republican candidates. Having the GOP in power had disastrous consequences when the Flint Water Crisis emerged in 2014, just to cite one terrible outcome of the hyped-up Emergency Manager program implemented by Gov. Rick Snyder and endorsed by the GOP legislature.
With the GOP dominating the state house and senate, we cannot compensate for the damage done during the 2010s nor adequately address the current crises of COVID, failing infrastructure, climate change, and racial inequity. Without significantly fairer reconfiguration of the 110 state house and 38 senate districts for the 2022 election, we will continue to lose ground.
Under GOP legislative leadership we are also vulnerable to the complete undermining of the expanded voting rights that we gained in 2018. Thanks to the passage of Proposal 3 that year, we gained same-day voter registration and no-excuse absentee voting, among other critical reforms. Without them in place the election of 2020 would likely have gone very differently. That success is precisely why the GOP is fighting so hard currently to sneak through a ballot referendum that would revert most of Proposal 3’s gains.
Want more reason for concern? The state of Michigan also has draconian laws banning abortion on the books, which the current GOP leadership is only too happy to have in place if Roe v Wade is completely undone.
That’s one major incentive to make sure we have an even playing field for our 2022 state legislative elections. The incentives to craft fair Congressional district boundaries are similarly strong. We have lost a district, going from 14 to 13. No matter what, we will lose our 7-7 Dem-GOP balance for our delegation in 2022. Under no circumstances can we afford to enter the 2024 election cycle with a Congressional delegation dominated by Republicans.
MICRC Public Input: What you can do NOW
Throughout the summer of 2021, the MICRC sponsored a few dozen public hearings at various locations around the state to gather input from citizens about the new districts. That process has not yet closed; between now and the end of the year, the CRC will be extending additional opportunities for voters to make their opinions known.
While the process is not yet complete, it is also true that the window of opportunity to present new maps for consideration is about to close. The sooner we offer testimony the sooner we can help counterbalance the preponderance of GOP-leaning comments to the MICRC.
There are three ways to participate, listed in increasing order of complexity:
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Review current proposed maps (created by the MICRC or other entities) and submit written comment to the MICRC through an online portal/by mail
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Conduct a similar review and testify at a MICRC public hearing, in person/via Zoom
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Draw and submit your own district maps
The annotated links provided above, in the opening section of this post, explain how to access each of these options.
The value of supplying written commentary
The MICRC public submissions portal -- which is accessible from the MICRC home page but is not a michigan.gov site -- preserves all material submitted to them. The searchable “gallery” on the portal displays all submissions whether a suggested district map, a Community of Interest map, a comment about either kind of map, or a general comment. People can also submit replies to/comments about any of this material. Comments have the megaphone icon; maps have a...map icon.
Written comments serve an important purpose. The permanence of a written comment within the gallery allows for ongoing dialogue with others who read them, as well as allowing the Commission to assess the points made in the aggregate.
The value of giving oral testimony
Participation in-person or via Zoom is nevertheless preferable to submitting written comments. (It is also possible, and desirable, to do both.) Offering spoken testimony has a powerful impact on both speaker and audience. It matters to the Commission that speakers have taken extra time to appear “in person;” it also helps us as citizens get a better understanding of the Commissioners to see and hear them in real time. Many people find the process daunting, but it’s definitely worth overcoming your qualms and giving it a go. The Fair Maps Project and other organizations can help you shape your message if you like.
Drawing your own map vs. supporting someone else’s
At this late date, drawing one’s own set of maps, while still theoretically possible, may not be as strategic as throwing one’s support behind a particular set of maps. It is a complicated matter to address all of the legal requirements and priorities mandated by the Constitution, so this is a process where expertise makes a big difference. But it is still possible to create and submit your own if you are motivated.
Maps for the state house and senate that deserve strong Democratic support were created by the Fair Maps Project of the Michigan AFL-CIO, viewable at MIaflcio/fairmaps (and as map o1993 on the MICRC portal). While theirs is not the only coherent option, the labor organization has taken great care to fulfill the priorities mandated in the new process.
My personal plan
I will sign up to speak at the public hearing this Thursday via Zoom. I’m waiting to speak until after I hear the Ford School’s webinar speakers on Wednesday evening. I hope to attend one of the October sessions in person--and perhaps we can get a group of us to take part. I will report on my impressions from Thursday and welcome questions before or after.
APPENDIX
The MICRC has published an important and valuable resource, “Mapping Process and Procedures,” worth careful review by anyone interested in the guidelines used by the Commission. It defines key terms for their process on p. 2 and offers a template for all of their activities. Below, I summarize their current timeline through the end of 2021 (pp. 4-5 in the document) and reprint the mapping criteria established through Proposal 2 and the district population parameters for the state house, state senate, and Congressional districts (both on p. 3).
MICRC Redistricting Timeline through December 30, 2021
Summary based on “MICRC Mapping Process and Procedures v9.6,” pp. 4-5
Delayed reporting of 2020 Census data required the Commission to modify the dates for final completion and review of the districts. Between now and November 14, there are two more segments of public comment periods as described in the MICRC’s own planning document. The current one, called “Partisan Fairness Review & Deliberations,” will conclude this week with three days of meetings in Detroit and one day in Rochester. Following this period, the Commission will consult with their mapping expert to prepare proposed maps for public review. The tentative date for publication of their maps is Friday, October 8.
Once the draft proposed maps are available, nine more meetings/public hearings are scheduled between Monday, October 11 and Thursday, October 28, at various locations throughout the state.
After more deliberation by the Commission, the “final” maps are to be published on Sunday, November 14, which then kicks off one more 45-day public comment period. December 30th would then be the first day the Commission can meet to vote on the planned maps.
Constitutional Mapping Criteria (In Rank Order)
From “MICRC Mapping Process and Procedures v9.6,” p. 3
1. Districts shall be of equal population as mandated by the United States constitution, and shall comply with the voting rights act and other federal laws.
2. Districts shall be geographically contiguous. Island areas are considered to be contiguous by land to the county of which they are a part. 3. Districts shall reflect the state's diverse population and communities of interest. Communities of interest may include, but shall not be limited to, populations that share cultural or historical characteristics or economic interests. Communities of interest do not include relationships with political parties, incumbents, or political candidates.
4. Districts shall not provide a disproportionate advantage to any political party. A disproportionate advantage to a political party shall be determined using accepted measures of partisan fairness.
5. Districts shall not favor or disfavor an incumbent elected official or a candidate.
6. Districts shall reflect consideration of county, city, and township boundaries.
7. Districts shall be reasonably compact.
District Details
Reproduced from From “MICRC Mapping Process and Procedures v9.6,” p. 3
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District Count
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Ideal District Size |
District Size w/ Deviations |
*State Senate |
38 districts |
265,193 people |
251,933 ‐ 278,453 people
(‐5.0% to 5.0% deviation)
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*State House |
110 districts |
91,612 people |
87,031 ‐ 96,193 people
(‐5.0% to 5.0% deviation)
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Congressional |
13 districts |
775,179 people |
773,303 ‐ 779,055 people
(‐0.5% to 0.5% deviation)
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*District Count Set by Michigan Constitution