- This was intended for discussion on an earlier show, but the story has gotten a bit dated. That being said, it’s still interesting to compare the non-partisan maps generated by the Michigan commission to the gerrymandered maps created by the Texas Legislature. You can link to the Michigan maps below.
- Michigan redistricting panel wraps adoption of state House, Senate, congressional maps; By Beth LeBlanc | THE DETROIT NEWS | Dec. 28, 2021
- Michigan’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission adopted three plans Tuesday for the voting districts that will govern Michigan’s 13 congressional districts, 38 state Senate seats and 110 state House seats for the next decade. …
- Tuesday’s vote marks the commission’s first adoption of maps since it was created via a ballot initiative in 2018. Prior to that, the maps were drawn by the political party in power.
- “We did the best job we could with the time and everything else we were given,” said Commissioner Cynthia Orton, a Republican on the panel. “What could be improved is what will be improved next time. We started with a lot of unknowns. It had never been done before in Michigan, and the next commission will have the benefit of us having done this before.” …
- But commissioners are expecting to encounter legal challenges to the maps in the coming weeks. Both the 13th Congressional District Democratic Party and the Michigan Republican Party said Tuesday they were exploring their legal options. …
- The panel spent much of Tuesday morning ironing out the process they’d follow for the final vote and listening to continued objections to the proposed maps during a more than hour-long public comment period. …
- The commission is expecting legal challenges to the maps to be filed in the coming weeks. That litigation could uphold the adopted maps, could send them back to the commission for changes or could prompt the courts to make changes. If there are no successful legal challenges to the maps, they will stand until they are reviewed by a new commission in 10 years.
- Groups have been vocal about their exploration of litigation in relation to the maps.
- Tuesday’s vote was preceded by a Detroit press conference with Detroit pastors and politicians urging the commission to make changes to avoid dilution of the Black vote. …
- In some of the maps, the commission decreased the number of majority-Black districts in the proposed maps by stretching Detroit districts into the suburbs in an effort to increase partisan fairness and “unpack” past efforts to isolate the Democratic vote to certain districts. But Detroit leaders have argued the commission did too much to unpack the Detroit area and have damaged minority voters’ chances of getting their preferred candidate through primary elections. …
- The commission’s consultants have repeatedly said there are other ways to comply with Voting Rights Act requirements than setting an arbitrary percentage of Black voting age population with which the districts must comply. …
- The Michigan Republican Party on Tuesday said it was “evaluating all options to take steps necessary to defend the voices silenced by this commission.”
- Democratic groups weren’t quick to criticize the maps. Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, now chairman for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, praised the commission’s work as a “success” that shows independent commissions can “produce a fair result.”
- MIKE: Compare and contrast the Michigan maps and process with Texas.
- https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1nZddCM2e2nClYQX7EEkyv9deY503kPrf&ll=44.83394909506222%2C-86.26807657719272&z=6
- https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=12ed9L5F9_vT4-9ol2Z73Bs7Yr8vboGbQ&ll=44.85303034429836%2C-85.04399222339394&z=6
- https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1IdnOhQm64qvmYHWvNVV3NZkYGAGpDZLr&ll=44.60902525235453%2C-86.80124582763187&z=6
Michigan redistricting panel wraps adoption of state House, Senate, congressional maps: Compare to Texas
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Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig 