Conservative operative Tony Daunt and the Michigan Republican Party filed briefs with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in their continued quest to thwart implementation of Michigan’s voter-approved redistricting reform amendment. The two consolidated lawsuits, Daunt, et al v. Benson, challenge Michigan’s redistricting reform amendment on federal Constitutional grounds, but the U.S. District Court recently determined none of plaintiffs’ claims were persuasive.
“More than a year has passed since 2.5 million Michigan voters chose to take the power to draw our election district maps away from politicians and special interests who rigged our maps behind closed doors to benefit themselves,” said Nancy Wang, Executive Director of Voters Not Politicians. “We will continue to fight back against these meritless lawsuits to ensure the people’s will is honored.”
On November 25, U.S. District Court Judge Janet Neff rejected the plaintiffs’ requests for a preliminary injunction that would have forced the state to stop implementing the redistricting reform amendment, finding that “Plaintiffs are unlikely to prevail on the merits of their constitutional claims” and that they would not suffer any irreparable harm from the state’s efforts to establish the Commission. The November 25 ruling is the subject of plaintiffs’ appeals.
The application process to serve on Michigan’s first Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission opened on October 24, 2019, and will stay open through June 1, 2020. Over 1,000 voters have applied to be considered for the 13-member Commission, which will be selected in a random process. Voters Not Politicians recently received $360,000 in grant funding from the Joyce and Kresge Foundations to support implementation of the redistricting reform amendment.
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Voters Not Politicians is a grassroots, nonpartisan advocacy organization dedicated to supporting the successful implementation of the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission overwhelmingly supported by Michigan voters and to strengthening democracy by engaging people across Michigan in effective citizen action. Learn more at www.votersnotpoliticians.com.
