Proposal Two passes, voting districts to be drawn by an independent committee


michigan-votes

On Nov. 6, Michigan voters voted yes on Proposal 18-2, which means the power to draw Michigan voting districts is now in the hands of an independent committee. 

The proposal was backed by Voters Not Politicians, a group that is fighting against gerrymandering. Gerrymandering refers to drafting voting districts in a way that gives a certain political party an advantage in elections.

The proposal was called with about 62 percent voting yes for the proposal, while about 38 percent voted no, with 57 percent of precincts reporting.

The proposal will put the authority of drawing to a commission made up of 13 registered voters, according to the Voters Not Politicians' website. Four of the members will be democrats, four will be republicans and five will be independents.

On the Voters Not Politicians website, it states that Michigan politicians and lobbyists have manipulated districts that unfairly benefit politicians. It also states that Michigan has some of the worst gerrymandered districts in the country.

Michigan's oddly-shaped 14th Congressional District, currently represented by Brenda Lawrence.

Opponents of the proposal however, see issues with giving the power to draw districts to non-elected commission members. 

In an article from the Detroit News, Sarah Anderson, a Michigan Republican Party spokesperson, said “VNP places the power of redistricting out of the hands of elected officials who are held accountable to voters and into the hands of a randomly selected group who will be un-elected and unaccountable with no qualifications, eliminating checks and balances.”

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