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No Yoopers on State Redistricting Panel

There will be no Upper Peninsula residents on Michigan’s new Independent Redistricting Commission. The 13-member panel was filled today via a random drawing. It includes four Republicans, four Democrats, and five self-described independents.

The Republicans are…

  • Douglas Clark, 73: Rochester Hills
  • Rhonda Lange, 47: Reed City 
  • Erin Wagner, 54: Charlotte
  • Cynthia Orton, 54: Battle Creek

The Democrats are…

  • Juanita Curry, 72: Detroit
  • Brittni Kellom, 33: Detroit
  • M. Rothhorn: 48: Lansing
  • Dustin Witjes, 31: Ypsilanti 

Those who claim no party affiliation are…

  • James Decker, 59: Fowlerville
  • Anthony Eid, 27: Orchard Lake
  • Steven Lett, 73: Interlochen
  • Janice Vallette, 68: Highland
  • Richard Weiss, 73: Saginaw

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said yesterday that the group will start its work soon…

“The commission will convene early this fall, and begin planning the public forums and the deliberative map-drawing process. They will have full autonomy to hire staff, set their schedule, and create new district lines.”

Once the results of the 2020 census are in hand, the actual drawing of the new state legislative and U.S. House of Representatives districts will begin. They should be in place by the end of 2021, and will take effect in the 2022 election.

Benson emphasized that all of the commission’s meetings will be open to the public, and will be streamed online. Public input is encouraged.

The Independent Redistricting Commission was created by voters in November of 2018 to take the task of setting boundaries out of the state legislature. Michigan is considered to be one of the most heavily Gerrymandered states in the nation.

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