The following can be attributed to Nancy Wang, Executive Director of Voters Not Politicians, on the final demographic, geographic, and party affiliation data on applicants to Michigan’s first Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission released today by the Michigan Department of State:
“The support we’ve seen from the public for Michigan’s first Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission is phenomenal,” said Nancy Wang, Executive Director of Voters Not Politicians, the grassroots group that led the successful campaign to pass Proposal 2 to establish the citizens commission. “Thousands of Michiganders from every county in the state have signed up to be part of this historic process, and the size and diversity of the applicant pool sets up the Commission to reflect the demographic and geographic diversity of our state. With an eye toward the future, we are working now on educational efforts and tools to empower citizens to provide effective testimony to the Commission once it is seated.”
Voters Not Politicians celebrates the enthusiasm from Michiganders to serve on Michigan’s first Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, after a successful application period. VNP volunteers began a broad campaign immediately after the 2018 election to encourage voters to apply for the Commission. VNP prioritized communities that are historically underrepresented in the political process, including people of color, young voters, and women. By the June 1 application deadline, more than 200 VNP volunteers had partnered with 118 community organizations and held 291 educational events, 83 application workshops, and notarized 518 applications including remote notarizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more details, please click here.
Final demographic, geographic, and party affiliation data on applicants to the Commission are available on the Secretary of State’s website at MichiganRedistricting.org.
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Voters Not Politicians is a nonpartisan advocacy organization that works to strengthen democracy by engaging people across Michigan in effective citizen action. Learn more at www.votersnotpoliticians.com.
