WE ENDED GERRYMANDERING IN MICHIGAN

Quick read: On November 6, 2018, 61% of Michigan voters from across the state passed Proposal 2, which ended gerrymandering by creating an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. The amendment created a fair, impartial, and transparent process where voters - not politicians - will draw Michigan's state Senate, state House, and Congressional election district maps.

Voters Not Politicians is working with our c(3) organization The Count MI Vote Education Fund to lead education and outreach efforts around the state to ensure that our new map-drawing process is actually of, by and for the people.

Our current focus is engaging communities of interest in the next redistricting process.

Helpful links:

Click here to read the full amendment language.
Click here to view the timeline and important dates for the next redistricting cycle.
Click here to read frequently asked questions.
Click here for resources for communities of interest.

Click here for the full read

The Story of Proposal 2

On November 6, 2018, 61% of Michigan voters from across the state and across the political spectrum passed Proposal 2, a constitutional amendment to put the power to draw our election district maps in the hands of the voters — not politicians.

Proposal 2 was put on the ballot through a citizen-led ballot initiative. Voters Not Politicians volunteers collected more than 425,000 petition signatures from registered voters in every Michigan county with an all-volunteer effort.

Voters Not Politicians survived legal challenges that went all the way up to the Michigan Supreme Court to keep Proposal 2 on the ballot. Volunteers spread the word to vote "Yes on 2" across the state, knocking more than 460,000 doors, talking to voters at fairs and festivals, and more.

We had a number of endorsements, including former Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

On Election Day, 67 of Michigan's 83 counties voted "Yes on 2," with more than 2.5 million voters supporting a fair, impartial, and transparent redistricting process.

What is a ballot initiative?

Michigan voters have access to a direct form of democracy called ballot initiatives. A ballot initiative is a way for citizens to bring about a public vote on a proposed statute or constitutional amendment by collecting a certain minimum number of petition signatures from registered voters.

Voters Not Politicians was required to collect 315,654 valid signatures in 180 days, to secure Proposal 2 a spot in the November 6, 2018 election. With a simple majority vote from the voters of Michigan, we amended Michigan’s constitution to place an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission in charge of redistricting, ensuring that voters will choose their politicians, not the other way around.

Redistricting in Michigan

Before the redistricting reform amendment passed, the redistricting process in Michigan was rigged in favor of special interests.

Why? Because politicians and lobbyists met behind closed doors to draw Michigan’s election district maps to benefit themselves, not the voters. It’s called gerrymandering, and Michigan is currently home to some of the most gerrymandered districts.

Politicians met behind closed doors with lobbyists and highly paid consultants and used big data and advanced computer algorithms to pick the groups of voters most likely to help their party. This allowed politicians to manipulate elections to give them and their party an unfair advantage for the next decade of elections.

What is redistricting?

What is gerrymandering?

The term "gerrymandering" is used to describe the practice of drawing election district boundaries to favor one political party, incumbent, or candidate.

Instead of drawing lines to represent the voters' interests, politicians meet behind closed doors with highly paid consultants and big data to carve and skew communities based on past voting patterns. Highly advanced computer programs help them predict how specific households will vote, which allows them to draw lines around voters to give themselves and their party an advantage in the next decade of elections.

Politicians must adhere to federal laws for equal population and minority representation, but are able to stretch and skew guidelines that are not enforceable. They don’t even have to prove that they’re following these guidelines.

How has redistricting historically worked in Michigan?

Before the redistricting reform amendment passed, the redistricting process in Michigan was rigged in favor of special interests.

Politicians met behind closed doors with lobbyists and highly paid consultants and used big data and advanced computer algorithms to pick the groups of voters most likely to help their party. This allowed politicians to manipulate elections to give them and their party an unfair advantage for the next decade of elections.

About the Redistricting Reform Amendment

Michigan voters exercised their right of direct democracy and put a constitutional amendment on the 2018 general election ballot, known as Proposal 2. Proposal 2 put the power to draw election district maps in the hands of voters and created a fair, impartial, and transparent process.

The amendment clearly defines who can participate in future redistricting processes, how the maps are drawn, and when the maps are drawn.

Who draws the maps?

The redistricting reform amendment created an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission that would be tasked to draw Michigan’s state Senate, state House, and Congressional election district maps every 10 years using Census data.

The amendment requires that the Commission be made up of “buckets” of 4 Democrat* voters, 4 Republican* voters, and 5 voters who affiliate with neither of those parties. Commissioners in each of these buckets must agree to adopt the final maps.

All registered voters in Michigan are eligible to apply to serve on the Commission. 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

The amendment disqualifies these individuals from serving on the Commission because they are most likely to have a conflict of interest when it comes to drawing Michigan’s election district maps. However, the amendment includes that these individuals 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

How is the Commission selected?

How will the Commission draw the maps?

Criteria: The amendment establishes a set of strict, ranked criteria that the Commission must follow when drawing the maps. The Commission must explain in a report how the maps it adopts meet the criteria in the amendment.

The maps must:

Follow all federal requirements, including the Voting Rights Act (VRA)
Be contiguous
Respect communities of interest
Not favor any party or incumbent
Follow county, city, township lines
Be compact

Public Input: For the Commission’s maps to “respect communities of interest” as required by the amendment, the Commission must consider public input about (1) what interests citizens feel bind them together with others — whether it be economic, historical, ethnic, or other interests — and (2) where the boundaries of these “communities of interest” are.

The Commission will gather this input in a series of public hearings the Commission is required to hold in different parts of the state. The Commission must hold at least 10 public hearings across the state before it begins drawing maps and at least another five public hearings across the state to present its draft maps before it adopts them. The public may submit their own maps to the Commission for consideration.

Transparency: All of the Commission’s redistricting work must be done in public. Everything the Commission uses during its meetings and deliberations must be made publicly available. This includes reference documents, data, software used to draw maps, identity of consultants and staff, and any other information relating to the Commission’s work.

Funding & Resources: The Commission has the power to make its own rules and hire staff and experts, such as map-drawing experts, demographers and statisticians. The state government is required to fund the Commission.

Adopting the Final Maps: To adopt election district maps, a majority of the Commissioners (7 out of the 13) must agree, and that majority must include at least 2 commissioners from each bucket (Democrat, Republican, and unaffiliated).

When will the Commission draw the maps?

The redistricting process centers around the U.S. Census. The federal government requires that districts must have nearly equal populations, which is why districts must be redrawn every 10 years following the Census.

However, the redistricting process begins well before the Census even starts! The application process is expected to open in late-2019 and will close on June 1, 2020.

Michigan's first Commission will convene on October 15th, 2020 and will have until November 1, 2021 to finalize the next set of election district maps.

What the Redistricting Reform Amendment means for you

Now, Michigan citizens have the power to draw the lines! As a Michigan citizen, you have a chance to become a part of history and create fair, impartial, and transparent election district lines that represent the voters of Michigan.

You can participate in the process by attending a public redistricting hearing starting in 2021. More information on public hearings will be added soon! To receive updates, subscribe to the Voters Not Politicians newsletter here.

Learn more about the important role of Communities of Interest here and how you can get involved in the new fair, impartial, and transparent redistricting process.

WE ENDED GERRYMANDERING IN MICHIGAN

The Story of Proposal 2

Redistricting in Michigan

About the Redistricting Reform Amendment

What the Redistricting Reform Amendment means for you

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