by The Ann Arbor Independent Editorial Staff

A pair of grassroots organizations working to change the way congressional and legislative districts are drawn in Michigan will host an informational meeting in Ann Arbor.

Voters Not Politicians is a registered ballot committee leading the charge to amend the Michigan Constitution for a citizen-controlled system of drawing voting maps for legislative and congressional districts.

The ballot committee was formed by volunteers at Count MI Vote. Count MI Vote wanted to create an “umbrella” ballot committee so that other groups or individuals could join Voters Not Politicians, even if they weren’t a part of Count MI Vote.

The town hall, titled “Stopping Political Games in Drawing Legislative Districts,” aims to educate and garner support for the efforts of Count MI Vote and the Voters Not Politicians Ballot Committee to amend the state Constitution to require a panel of citizens to decide district boundaries after the 2020 U.S. Census, instead of state legislators, a news release said.

States determine who makes redistricting decisions and how district lines are redrawn. In Michigan, the Legislature decides and district lines are drawn to benefit whichever party holds the majority of power.

According to information posted to the group’s website, “Partisan redistricting, also known as gerrymandering, occurs when politicians draw voting map lines unfairly to benefit themselves or their political party. Politicians are able to draw voting maps based on party affiliations, race, and other criteria in order to keep themselves in power by packing their opponents into districts or by spreading them across several districts to minimize their voters.”

The organizations’ members argue that with gerrymandering, “politicians choose voters, rather than voters choosing their politicians.”

Gerrymandering has evolved over the years as highly advanced computer programs and tools have been created to help politicians maximize their reelection potential while minimizing their opponents’.

Seven states — Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania — draw state legislative districts with “politician commissions,” where elected officials, though not strictly legislators, serve as members.

Six states — Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, and Washington — draw districts using an independent commission. Members of these commissions are neither legislators nor public officials.
Some of the states further limit commission members’ link to the legislature: Arizona and California, for example, also bar legislative staff from serving on the commission; California, Idaho, and Washington bar lobbyists from serving on the commission as well.

The Ann Arbor meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 23, at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, 1080 S. University Ave.

Seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis. Additional information can be found at www.votersnotpoliticians.com and countmivote.org.