A federal court has ordered the MICRC to adopt new maps for State House districts 1, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12 and 14, and State Senate districts 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, and 11. 

The MICRC concluded the redraw of the voided State House districts in late February and submitted Motown Sound FC E1 to the court. The three-judge panel accepted the maps submitted by the MICRC and decided that they will be used for the 2024 elections and beyond. In their decision, they recognized the public support for the map, and that the voided districts had been completely redrawn, now running east-west instead of in “spokes” that extended into Oakland and Macomb counties.

The MICRC has begun redrawing the voided State Senate districts with the intent to submit the final maps to the federal court by June 26, 2024. The commissions has put forward 12 draft map options for the official public comment period, which is open now through June 21.

Want to know more about the redraw process?  Take a look through our previous weekly updates here. 

• Attend a public hearing or town hall.
  • The commission will be hosting virtual town halls on May 29th and June 6th for voters in the affected districts to receive information on the draft proposed maps. Each town hall will have a morning session (10 AM - 1 PM) and an evening session (5 PM - 7:30 PM).
  • The commission will also host three in-person public hearings in Detroit. These public hearings are focused on gathering public feedback on the submitted draft maps:
    • June 11th at Detroit Cass Tech/2502 Second Ave.: 10 AM - 3 PM and 4 PM - 7 PM
    • June 12th at Detroit King/3200 E. Lafayette: 10 AM - 3 PM and 4 PM - 7 PM
    • June 13th at Detroit Renaissance/6565 W. Outer Drive: 10 AM -3 PM and 4 PM - 7 PM
• Learn more. Voters Not Politicians will co-host educational town halls about the redistricting process together with the MICRC. These town halls are geared towards residents who haven’t closely followed all the redistricting news, but still want to make their voices heard regarding their representation.
• Make public comment. The MICRC needs to hear from people who live in the impacted districts. You can give public comment virtually, in person, or electronically. Sign up here to receive instructions for making public comment to the MICRC.
• Educate your network. When you come across news articles or social media posts talking about redistricting, comment to add context to the conversation, such as why the independent commission process is better than the previous mapping process done by politicians.

Remind folks why voters pushed for an independent commission.

• We can’t forget that an overwhelming majority of Michigan voters approved this process that puts redistricting in the hands of voters because they were tired of self-interested politicians drawing lines to their own benefit, at the expense of voters.
• The MICRC wants to hear from people who live in the districts that need to be redrawn! Sign up here to learn how you can submit testimony about your community.
• Even with some bumps in the road, this redistricting process is vastly better than the previous system where political operatives drew maps to their own advantage behind closed doors.

Make it clear what matters most to voters. 

• The commission needs to deliver maps that keep communities of interest together, preserve or improve partisan fairness, and give communities the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. 

Clarify what is (and isn’t) happening in the redraw. 

• The court ruled that the MICRC’s reliance on race in drawing several Metro Detroit area districts violated the Equal Protection Clause of the US Constitution. The court did not rule on the question of possible Voting Rights Act violations.
• Nothing in the court’s decision calls into question the process that voters overwhelmingly approved in the Prop 18-2 redistricting amendment.