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Proponents of reforming Michigan’s legislative redistricting procedure have moved forward in two arenas.
On Friday, a group of Michigan Democrats and the League of Women Voters filed a lawsuit in federal court in Detroit. They claim the most recent legislative boundaries intentionally broke up large blocks of Democrats, and attaching them to districts that were likely to vote Republican. The suit charges that the result is an unconstitutional violation of due protection and free speech. It requests that federal courts establish the next set of district boundaries, unless the state’s process is made more even-handed.
The current boundaries were set by the legislature after the 2010 census. The GOP controlled the Michigan House and Senate, and Republican Rick Snyder had just been sworn in as governor. Both the House and Senate redistricting committees contained six Republicans and three Democrats.
Meanwhile, the state is reviewing more than 425,000 signatures turned in last week by a group that wants a redistricting proposal placed on the upcoming November ballot. That’s 100,000 signatures more than are needed. The plan advanced by Voters Not Politicians would take the redistricting responsibility away from the legislature, and turn it over to an independent citizens commission. A spokesman for the Secretary of State’s office said the signature review could take several months.
