Michigan’s first-ever Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.
Every 10 years following the U.S. Census, district lines for political offices must be redrawn in states across the country to accurately reflect their population. In Michigan, a randomly selected commission of citizens is responsible for drawing U.S. Congressional and Michigan State House and Senate district lines. Voters amended the state constitution in the November 2018 general election to make citizens — not legislators or special interests — responsible for drawing district lines (called “redistricting”). The commission will be composed of 13 randomly-selected Michigan registered voters: four who affiliate with the Democratic Party, four who affiliate with the Republican Party, and five who do not affiliate with either major political party.
The Michigan Department of State is eager to engage you and your community to invite them to apply and inform them about the new free online notary services and email submission option for applications. MDS would greatly appreciate the opportunity to reach your community directly via email, newsletter, or a virtual townhall or video conference meeting.
The deadline to apply – June 1 – is only six weeks away, so we need to get the word out quickly. The current applicant pool statistics demonstrate great interest and enthusiasm from Michiganders of all backgrounds, but as you can see here there is more work to be done to generate applications from a broad cross-section of the state.
This is an extraordinary moment for all Michiganders to get involved and ensure the fairness and integrity of our elections. MDS would truly appreciate the chance to invite your community to apply and be part of this transparent, citizen-led process.
If this is of interest to you, we would be happy to set up a call with the MDS team to discuss further details and opportunities. You can find out more at, RedistrictingMichigan.org, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @redistrictingMI.
Provided by,
Sally Marsh, Director of Special Projects,
Michigan Department of State
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson