The following can be attributed to Nancy Wang, Executive Director of Voters Not Politicians, on the Plaintiffs’ filings in Daunt, et al v. Benson:
“Voters Not Politicians will continue to fight back against politicians and special interests so that voters choose their politicians – not the other way around — and can hold their politicians accountable. Meanwhile, we are full steam ahead working to make sure that Michigan’s first Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission is a success. Applications to serve on the Commission will open later this year and we encourage voters to apply. We look forward to prevailing against these meritless lawsuits and engaging the public in the new fair, impartial, and transparent redistricting process voters put in place.”
According to the redistricting reform amendment, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson must mail by January 1, 2020 at least 10,000 applications inviting voters to serve on the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. Her office has indicated that applications will likely be available this fall.
Voters Not Politicians has made great strides toward building awareness of the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, hosting a total of 36 educational town halls and 49 presentations to community groups since the beginning of 2019, with 20 more presentations scheduled in the next two months. The organization has built a list of over 4,100 citizens who are interested in applying to serve on the Commission.