2021 Communities of Interest Engagement Program

Participate in Michigan’s New Redistricting Process

Need help? Contact us at support@votersnotpoliticians.com

Community Mapping & Michigan’s New Redistricting Process

Voters amended the state Constitution in 2018 to put everyday Michiganders in charge of drawing the voting district lines that determine who we vote for to represent us in state and federal government. Now, an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission is responsible for drawing Michigan’s voting district lines by November 1, 2021. An important requirement is that commissioners should keep information from communities of interest collected through public input in mind as they draw the districts.

What is a Community of Interest? Communities of interest can be a group of any size whose members share cultural, economic, historic, and/or other shared interests.

Communities all across the state now have an exciting opportunity -- for the first time in the state’s history -- to give input and make sure Michigan’s election district maps result in better representation for the people. The Commission will rely on voters like you to identify, show and explain where Michigan’s communities of interest are. It will be holding public hearings throughout 2021 to get public input. When you participate, you will give your community a voice.

Our Program

Educational Resources for Community Mapping

VNP’s focus is to ensure that historically underserved communities have the information and tools they need to participate meaningfully during the Community Mapping Phase of the new redistricting process. We are proud to provide educational and support resources to the public in order to ensure they are ready to provide effective testimony and maps that define their community.

Request an Event facilitated by Voters Not Politicians here

More information about COI’s: The Role of Communities of Interest in Michigan’s New Approach to Redistricting

Go to the Mapping Toolkit >>

VNP’s Deep Engagement Partner Program

Our Deep Engagement Partner Program builds long-term relationships with organizations that work with underserved communities to organize, train, and mobilize communities to submit maps and provide effective testimony to the Redistricting Commission. We will, of course, encourage as many people and organizations to participate as possible, and have committed to directly partner with 10 community-based organizations in 2021.

If you would like to learn more about our Partner Program, please contact Charlie Beall at
charlie@votersnotpoliticians.com

Mapping & Community Input Toolkit

Watch: COI's and MI's New Redistricting Process

Presented by Kevin Deegan-Krause. Recorded on April 7th, 2021

Watch: How to Map Your Community

Presented by Bridget Bly. Recorded on May 3rd, 2021

Map Your Community

- Online Tools - Draw your map with Representable

VISIT REPRESENTABLE.ORG

Representable is a free, open-source tool for creating maps for communities of interest (COI) — groups of individuals who share common social and economic interests, who are likely to have similar political concerns. Currently, over half of states have legal requirements to respect COIs.

LEARN HOW TO USE REPRESENTABLE.ORG (7-MINUTE VIDEO)

- Online Tools - Draw your map with DistrictR

Visit DISTRICTR.ORG

DistrictR is a free, public web tool for districting and community identification, brought to you by the MGGG Redistricting Lab.

Not sure which tool is right for you? Watch our Mapping Workshop

MAPPING WORKSHOP PRESENTATION SLIDES

To request presentation notes and/or an editable copy of a slidedeck, please contact support@votersnotpoliticians.com

- Printable Tools - Draw your map with pencil and paper

(Worksheet) Draw & Describe your Community on Paper

Find, Download, & Print a Map

Additional Resources for Communities of Interest

Frequently Asked Questions >>

FOR GROUPS: DOWNLOAD THE COI PRESENTATION SLIDE DECK

FOR TOWN HALLS: DOWNLOAD THE COI PRESENTATION SLIDE DECK

Presentación de redistribución de distritos - Versión en español

Watch: The Next Big Thing: Redistricting in Michigan and the Role of Communities of Interest (Webinar Streamed Live on 02/25/21)

COI Slidedeck with Introductory Civic Education

To request presentation notes and/or an editable copy of a slidedeck, please contact support@votersnotpoliticians.com

Submit your Map and Testimony Online

On May 6th, 2021, the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission launched an online public portal for submitting community maps and written public comment. Visit the MICRC Public Comment & Map Submission Portal

How to Use the MICRC Public Portal & Map Submission Portal

Video Tutorial: Courtesy of Engage Michigan (2-minute video)

Learn about Michigan’s New Redistricting Commission

Visit the Redistricting Michigan Public Website >>

The redistricting reform amendment created an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw Michigan’s state Senate, state House, and U.S. congressional election district maps every 10 years using Census data to reflect changes in our population.

The amendment requires that the Commission includes 4 Democratic* voters, 4 Republican* voters, and 5 voters who affiliate with neither of those parties. A majority of the Commissioners must approve the final maps and the majority must include at least 2 Commissioners from each of these groups. In other words, Commissioners of different political affiliations must reach consensus to adopt the final maps.

All registered voters in Michigan are eligible to apply to serve on the Commission, with a few exclusions to minimize the potential for conflicts of interest. A voter is disqualified from serving on the Commission if in the past 6 years, the person has been a:

✘ candidate or elected official of a partisan office
✘ leader or official of a political party
✘ consultant or employee of a politician or PAC
✘ employee of the legislature or political appointee
✘ registered lobbyist agent or employee of a registered lobbyist agent
✘ immediate family member of any of the above

While these individuals are disqualified from serving on the Commission because they are most likely to have a conflict of interest when it comes to drawing election district maps, every Michigander can still participate in the redistricting process by offering testimony in person or in writing.

* or the two political parties with the largest representation in the legislature

Frequently Asked Questions

About Voters Not Politicians

Who is Voters Not Politicians (VNP)?

What can VNP do to support you and your Community in the redistricting process?

What other policy initiatives and non-partisan reforms is VNP championing?

The Impact of Redistricting

What is redistricting and why does it happen?

What is gerrymandering, and why does it matter?

Before the new Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, politicians in the majority party in the state legislature drew the voting district lines behind closed doors, without input from the public. The politicians drew the district lines in a way that would keep themselves and their political party in power, rather than thinking about the needs of the people in their districts. This is called “gerrymandering” and it leads to voting district maps that can divide your Community and weaken your voice in government.

Why are voting districts important?

Michigan’s New Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC)

Why does Michigan have a new Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission?

Prior to 2018, the majority party in the Michigan state legislature drew boundaries for the voting districts to elect members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Michigan State Senate, and the Michigan House. In 2018, Michigan voters decided that their voting districts should be drawn instead by a new Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission made up of ordinary citizens; not politicians.

How were the new Commissioners selected?

When will the Commission start its work?

How will the Commission draw district lines?

There are seven areas of criteria the Commission must comply with while drawing the new district maps. Here they are in order of priority...

Federal requirements of equal population in compliance with the Voting Rights Act.
Geographically contiguous land (All parts of a district must touch each other.)
Communities of Interest--this is where your input is critical
No partisan gerrymandering
No protection for incumbents.
Consider existing county, city and township lines
Districts must be reasonably compact – No more snake-shaped districts.

Communities of Interest & Their Role in Engaging the Commission

What is a Community of Interest?

The MI Constitution defines Communities of Interest as…

“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 do not include relationships with political parties, public officials or candidates for public office.

Why are Communities of Interest important to the Commission?

What can VNP do to support you and your Community in the redistricting process?

The Commission will be holding at least 15 public hearings to take public testimony about what the people of Michigan want to see happen with redistricting, and how their Communities can be better served by the government. The Commission schedule is publicly available on the Secretary of State’s website. Your community should plan to testify at the public hearings and also send information to the Commission. To support you in doing that, VNP can...

Provide presentations and handouts to your community about the redistricting process about how it works and its significance.
Strategize with you on how to present testimony to the Commission.
Provide a mapping tool (Representable.org) and guidance on using it so that you can describe your Community and draw a map of its boundaries for the Commission.
Offer a paper and pencil form for submitting written testimony and a map.
Provide regular follow-up to answer your questions and confirm progress on your Community’s submissions to the Commission.

What should you think about when describing your Community to the Commission?

Here are topics of interest to the Commission:

What does your Community need from the government? Schools? Better Health Care? Social Services? Public Transportation? Better Roads? Safe Water? Environmental Justice?
How is Your Community Connected? Shared Culture? Shared Government Services? Shared economic issues? Shared history?
What are the boundaries of your Community?
Where is your Community located? Which area(s) do you want to keep together in the new voting districts? Why is it important not to split your Community into separate districts?

What will happen to publicly submitted comments and how will the Commission use them in line drawing?

How will the redistricting process change the voting maps and the political makeup of Michigan?

Of course, no one can predict exactly how the new redistricting process will change the political makeup of Michigan. However, the Commission must follow the specific criteria outlined in the state constitution as it draws the new district lines. The process must be open and transparent, and the Commission is prohibited from favoring one political party over another. We expect that district maps will put political power in the hands of Michigan Communities, and not favor or disfavor any political party.