With the last of 16 initial public hearings in the books, Michigan’s independent redistricting commissioners will now turn to the next step of drawing the state’s political maps — compiling and analyzing public comments while they wait for U.S. Census data to come in.
On Thursday, the commission held the last of 16 hearings to glean input from the public about what their Congressional, state House and state Senate districts should look like.
The commission is the first of its kind in Michigan history — and the lines they ultimately come up with have major implications for future political races at state and federal levels.
Related: Michigan Supreme Court asked to delay deadline for drawing political district maps
Michigan is losing a congressional seat this redistricting cycle, meaning the political makeup of many existing seats could change drastically. And a redrawing of state House and Senate districts could decide which party ultimately controls the state Legislature.
Michigan has 110 state House seats and 38 state Senate seats that are divvied up evenly by population every 10 years based on updated U.S. Census data. Michigan currently has 14 Congressional seats, but the state will lose a U.S. House seat in the next reapportionment process due to lagging population growth compared to other states.
Members of the 13-member commission — made up of five independents, four Republicans and four Democrats — were randomly selected last summer from a pool of thousands of applicants. Final maps for congressional and state House and Senate lines require majority approval and support from at least two Republicans, two Democrats and two independents on the commission.
The commission took public input during 16 hearings over the last several weeks and will continue to consider public comments submitted to an online portal where residents can upload comments and their own suggested district maps.
After the commission comes up with a set of draft maps, members will tour the state once more to hear from citizens about their specific proposals before voting on a final product.
Once the commission begins drawing the maps, they are required to follow a specific series of criteria:
- Complying with federal requirements, including making each district an equal population size.
- Making districts geographically contiguous.
- Keeping communities of interest together.
- Not favoring any political party or candidate for office.
- Considering county, city and township lines.
- Making the districts reasonably compact.
Communities of interest are high up on the commissioners’ list to consider and are loosely defined, although communities of color, church groups, adjacent counties, people working in specific industries, school districts, rural regions, neighboring cities and more have been proposed as possible communities of interest for the committee to consider.
The University of Michigan’s Center for Local, State and Urban Policy suggests communities of interest include populations sharing cultural or historical characteristics, economic interests or bonds through policy issues that would be affected by legislation.
The commission was assembled as a result of a November 2018 ballot proposal, Proposal 2, which passed with support from 61% of voters.
Redistricting was previously handled by the Michigan Legislature and approved by the governor, which, Proposal 2 supporters pointed out, allowed politicians to set their own district lines.
Supporters argued the change would help prevent gerrymandering to benefit certain lawmakers or political parties and give every Michigan resident more of a say in what their political districts look like.
The commission is facing a truncated timeline on the map-drawing process due to a delay in the release of full U.S. Census data.
Under the constitutional amendment, the commission has until Nov. 1 to draw the maps — but the U.S. Census Bureau, citing pandemic-related delays, announced in February that redistricting data won’t be made available to states for months, promising the data by Sept. 30, 2021. That’s after the date commissioners need to have proposed maps available for public comment under the constitutional amendment, which is Sept. 17.
Commissioners are currently petitioning the Michigan Supreme Court for additional time to draw the maps due to the late census data. During a recent hearing on the case, attorneys representing the commission proposed a new deadline of Dec. 11 for releasing draft redistricting maps and a Jan. 25, 2022 deadline for adopting new maps after public comment, arguing that the unprecedented situation means the commission won’t be able to honor the constitutional timeframe.
Some justices questioned the point of asking for a deadline extension before the deadline was missed, and opposing attorneys argued giving the commission a deadline extension when members theoretically could use preliminary Census data slated for a mid-August release was premature.
For more information, Michiganders are encouraged to check out the commission’s website or call 833-968-3729, although formal comments on the redistricting process cannot be taken over the phone.
Residents without internet access can mail their feedback to the commission at MICRC, PO Box 30318, Lansing, MI 48909.
Watch commissioners Cynthia Orton, Anthony Eid and MC Rothhorn speak with MLive reporter Lauren Gibbons about the commission’s work and what happens next:
Read more on MLive:
Michigan’s redistricting commission wants to see your ideal political maps. Here’s how to make them.
Michigan’s redistricting commission prepares to take in-person input on redrawing political maps
Volunteer movement helped carry redistricting proposal to the ballot
Michigan independent redistricting commission will seek more time to draw political maps
Michigan redistricting commission could be model for other states, SOS says
What losing a congressional seat means for Michigan
Meet the 13 commissioners who will redraw Michigan’s electoral lines
Volunteer movement helped carry redistricting proposal to the ballot
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What happens now that Michigan’s first round of redistricting hearings is complete? - MLive.com
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