The following can be attributed to Nancy Wang, Executive Director of Voters Not Politicians, on their response filed on Monday, December 14 to Tony Daunt’s appeal of the dismissal of the Daunt, et al v. Benson lawsuit:
“We won’t let these frivolous lawsuits get in the way of carrying out the people’s will. Though political insiders like Tony Daunt still refuse to accept it, Michigan voters decided to put an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission in charge of drawing the state’s election district maps. The Commission has been hard at work since September and will gather public input throughout 2021. Voters Not Politicians is supporting that process by helping to empower communities of interest across the state to share their views and maps with the Commission.”
Opponents of fair redistricting in Michigan have appealed District Court Judge Janet Neff’s July 6, 2020, order disposing of their claims in the Daunt, et al v. Benson lawsuit. The appeal will be decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, which upheld the Commission as constitutional in a prior decision in this same lawsuit.
Per the Constitutional amendment approved by the voters, the Commission is made up of 13 commissioners — four Republicans, four Democrats, and five voters who do not affiliate with either party. The Commissioners must hold at least 15 public meetings to gather public input before they approve the state’s next set of legislative and Congressional district maps. The Commission must adopt final maps by November 1, 2021. A full timeline of the redistricting process as laid out in the Constitution can be found here.
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Contact: Elizabeth Battiste
ebattiste@martinwaymire.com; 248-404-7846
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.
