Michigan residents can now apply to be a part of the new Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, state leaders announced last week.
The Michigan Independent Citizen Redistricting Commission was created last November after Michigan voters supported the “Votes Not Politicians” constitutional amendment. The amendment created a commission of 13 randomly selected citizens to draw district lines for the Michigan Senate, Michigan House of Representatives and U.S. Congress for the election in 2022.
“Last fall, millions of Michiganders voted to give citizens the power to draw our legislative districts, and now it is time to apply to be one of those citizens,” said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in a statement. “This is a first-of-its-kind opportunity for Michigan voters to draw fair and impartial electoral maps for our state. I hope every Michigander considers applying to participate.”
Michigan is one of the first states to create a citizen-led redistricting commission. District lines for political offices must be redrawn every 10 years to reflect population changes.
The members of the commission will earn around $40,000 and will first convene in the fall of 2020. Applications are due June 1, 2020. The final commission members will consist of four members who affiliate with the Republican party, four members who affiliate with the Democratic party and five members who are not affiliate with either major party.
Any registered and eligible voter in the state is welcome to apply, except for partisan political officials, candidates, registered lobbyist agents and their employees or close relatives. Applicants do not need to have previous experience in drawing legislative districts.
The state will offer workshop detailing how to apply, as well as provide an opportunity for applicants to get their application notarized. The application is also available at RedistrictingMichigan.org.
“As a longtime advocate for independent citizen redistricting, I am committed to ensuring this process is implemented with transparency so voters can have faith that the entire process is truly independent and citizen-led,” Benson said.
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Jordyn Pair is a reporter at The Michigan Star.
Photo “Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson” by the Michigan Secretary of State.
