In 2018, Michigan voters rejected the traditional model of having state legislators create electoral maps. They chose a different method aimed at removing extreme partisanship from the redistricting process. In 2021 the state used an independent commission made up of four Democrats, four Republicans and five independents to redraw the state’s legislative and congressional maps.
But advocates say there’s no turning back. “This is still worlds better than a group of politicians and special interests hiding behind closed doors and drawing maps that benefit one party or one special interest,” Jamie Lyons-Eddy, executive director of Voters Not Politicians, a nonprofit that advocates for various government reforms, told Democracy Docket.
Michigan is among four states – with Arizona, Colorado and California – that opted out of the typical redistricting process for one intended to be more transparent. Some states like Massachusetts manage to make the traditional model work with few difficulties, while others are still litigating maps drawn in 2022.
In October, the nonprofit organization released a “report card” grading states on their redistricting processes based on certain criteria. The states that scored above average all shared commonalities such as providing ample opportunity for public input and ensuring communities of color have a voice in the process. Illinois received an F, while the only states that received As were California and Massachusetts, which both passed maps with relatively little trouble.
Independent redistricting commissions are a promising step forward, advocates say
Roughly half of U.S. states allow citizen initiatives or referendums, which allows citizens to bypass their state legislature by placing proposed statutes and/or constitutional amendments on the ballot with enough signatures. That’s essentially how Michigan took mapdrawing out of the Legislature’s hands.
In Ohio, a ballot initiative is underway to replace the state’s redistricting commission, which includes the governor and secretary of state, with a commission made up of Ohio voters.
“It becomes much more difficult in states that don’t have that option of direct democracy, to try to get legislators to dismantle the system they built to advantage themselves,” Lyons-Eddy said, “We were lucky that we have the option of taking this straight to the ballot for the people to decide.”
When Common Cause was evaluating redistricting processes, “states that were trying to take the power away from legislators and hand it to independent bodies performed significantly better,” Vicuña said. All four states that use independent redistricting commissions — which typically comprise a mix of Republicans, Democrats and independent members — scored above average.
Lyons-Eddy says Michigan could be an example for what a better redistricting process could look like. “I think we can do a little bit better each time,” she said. “But I think the model of an independent citizens redistricting commission that excludes politicians and that requires people to work across parties to establish district lines is absolutely the way this should be done.”
This story was originally published by Democracy Docket. Read more here: https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/what-is-the-future-of-redistricting-perhaps-a-politician-free-process-experts-say/
