The commission received a partisan fairness analysis report from racial bloc voting expert, Dr. Lisa Handley, this morning. Evaluating all three map types (State House, State Senate, and Congressional), Dr. Handley used multiple measures to determine whether or not any of the commission’s draft maps give a partisan advantage to any political party. The commission will also be able to use the software to conduct their own analyses of partisan fairness in future meetings.
Her results showed that while the draft maps slightly favored Republicans over Democrats, the draft plans displayed less partisan advantage than anticipated. Furthermore, when evaluating the commission’s State House districts maps, the draft plan that adhered most to the VRA had more partisan fairness.
Communications Director Edward Woods III also verified the updated public hearing schedule following the commission’s decision to reduce the number of public hearings. The dates are as follows:
- Monday, October 18th: Grand Rapids-Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
- Wednesday, October 20th: Detroit-TCF Center
- Thursday, October 21st: Lansing-Lansing Center
- Monday, October 25th: Gaylord-Treetops Resort
- Tuesday, October 26th: Flint-Dort Center
Meeting Information:
Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhT4pEVJplY
Date: 10/1/2021
Time: 9 AM – 2:30 PM
Commissioners Present:
- Doug Clark (R)
- Juanita Curry (D)
- Anthony Eid (N)
- Brittini Kellom (D)
- Steve Lett (N)
- M.C. Rothhorn (D)
- Cynthia Orton (R)
- Rebecca Szetela (N)
- Janice Vallette (N)
- Richard Weiss (N)
- Dustin Witjes (D)
Commissioners Absent:
- Rhonda Lange (R)
- Erin Wagner (R)
Guests:
- Dr. Lisa Handley-Racial Bloc Voting Expert
- Kim Brace, Kent Stigall, and John Morgan-Election Data Services (EDS)
- Bruce Adelson-VRA Litigation Counsel
Thanks Alyson! The Commission also voted to limit public comment to one minute per speaker instead of two minutes. This will be a public hearings as well as public comment before regular meetings. Sandy