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New legislative maps ordered by a federal court panel reduce the number of districts that include both Detroit and its northern suburbs in an effort to restore electoral power of Black voters.
New Detroit-area state House maps are better for Black representation, a federal court rules. No incumbents will be drawn out of their districts, and the statewide map still tends to favor Democrats.
Critics challenging Michigan’s redistricting commission in court argue the latest proposed House map unfairly benefits incumbents and doesn’t address all of the issues that prompted a federal court to order a redraw.
Bridge Michigan analyzed House maps under consideration to replace those deemed illegal. The new districts are less overwhelmingly Democratic and far more homogenous racially.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request to press pause on the remapping sessions underway for metro Detroit political districts while the commission appeals a lower court’s decision that found their original maps unconstitutional.
It is essential that the commission restores the political will of Black voters without reinstating the partisan bias that has infected Michigan politics and policy for decades.
Metro Detroiters will have their first chance to weigh in on possible new political district maps next week after the state’s independent redistricting commission began court-ordered attempts to redraw several House districts.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s request to press pause on redrawing state legislative districts before the 2024 election cycle comes as Michigan’s citizen-led redistricting commission begins a second round of mapping this week.
The three-judge panel instructed the state redistricting commission to work quickly to redraw House maps so they can be finalized by the end of March. The timeline to redraw Senate maps is yet to be finalized.
Michigan voters wanted transparency when they created a new citizens panel to draw legislative maps. They got it. Now, some are skeptical if in-fighting will doom efforts to redraw 13 maps deemed unconstitutional.
Federal judges indicate they are skeptical of plans for special Senate elections this year but want to move aggressively to redraw 13 districts deemed unconstitutional.
Proposal 2 promised an independent commission free from partisan manipulation of political districts. Revelations surrounding the activities of three departing members suggest more vetting must be done.
In a hastily arranged meeting Thursday afternoon, Michigan’s independent redistricting commission voted 8-1 to appeal the federal ruling ordering that 13 Detroit-area districts be redrawn.
Two Democrats and one Republican were chosen to fill vacancies on Michigan’s independent redistricting commission, which could soon be tasked with redrawing metro Detroit state legislative maps.
Special elections would be two years ahead of schedule and could jeopardize Democrats’ control of the chamber. The request comes after judges rule 13 districts were illegally drawn.
A court order that 13 districts must be redrawn creates a host of questions: Can Democrats keep power? Will more districts have to be changed? Is the redistricting panel up to the task?
A three-judge panel ruled that 13 districts around Detroit diluted Black voters’ clout and must be redrawn. The ruling likely will have a domino effect that could impact presidential primary and Dem majority in the House.
