The Headlines
1. Michigan redistricting: Opponents argue new Detroit maps fall short Bridge Michigan, March 11, 2024
Late last Friday, the plaintiffs in Agee v. Benson filed their objections to the Motown Sound E1 map that was submitted by the MICRC as their remedial plan.
- Their first argument is that “the remedial map is gerrymandered to ensure that no incumbents must face each other.”
- This argument doesn’t hold water. The plaintiffs argue that it’s statistically unlikely to come up with a mapping plan where no incumbents would face each other in a future election, but despite the fact that every meeting was public and every transcript published online, they didn’t provide a single example of a commissioner considering incumbency status at all.
- Plaintiffs also suggest that Detroit resident Christopher Gilmer-Hill, who submitted a map entitled “Tiger Lily,” (built from the commission’s “Lily” map) intentionally protected incumbents. But Mr. Gilmer-Hill lays out his process in detail in his submission to the MICRC portal, explaining his consideration of communities of interest and partisan fairness.
As defenders of the voter-approved independent redistricting process, VNP is very concerned that both the MICRC’s attorneys, and now the plaintiffs, seem to suggest that any map submitted by the public is suspicious and should be discarded. The amendment clearly states: “The commission shall receive for consideration written submissions of proposed redistricting plans and any supporting materials, including underlying data, from any member of the public.”
As we’ve said all along, voters gave the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission “exclusive authority” to adopt legislative and congressional district maps. The commission drew new maps in good faith and the court should approve them, rather than adopting maps drawn by the Mapping Special Master, whose process we did not see, but which certainly did not honor the public input or transparency that voters across party lines demanded in 2018.
2. People convicted of election-related crimes could be barred from serving on boards certifying votes Michigan Advance, March 12, 2024
On Tuesday, the Michigan House Elections Committee heard testimony on House Bill 5551, which would bar people convicted of election-related crimes from serving on a county or state Board of Canvassers. The cited offense provisions in HB 5551 are serious election related offenses, including forgery in connection with an absentee ballot application, unlawful interference of an election inspector by a challenger, and more.
Voters Not Politicians Programs Director Kim Murphy-Kovalick testified in support of the legislation. “It is the ministerial, clerical, nondiscretionary duty of county and state canvassers to certify election results based solely on the number of votes cast by Michigan voters. For the same reason you wouldn’t leave a fox in charge of a henhouse, it is illogical to allow those who have already been convicted of election-related crimes to have control over future elections. Our democracy cannot survive if those chosen to uphold it are simultaneously trying to undermine it.”
What’s Next
Today, March 15th, is the deadline for the defendants (the MICRC) to rebut the plaintiffs’ objections, and for the Reviewing Special Master to file a report on those maps advising the court on whether they should be accepted as a remedy and adopted for use in this year’s State House elections. We’ll have updates next week about both filings.
House Bill 5551 needs to be heard again in a future House Elections Committee meeting and reported out of committee, before it can move to the full House for a vote and eventually moving to the Senate.
In other VNP legislative news, Senate Bills 669 and 670, expanding FOIA to the legislature and governor’s office, were voted out of the Senate Elections and Ethics Committee. After receiving a full Senate floor vote, these bills will head to the House Elections Committee for further testimony.
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