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In a surprise 5-to-4 vote that was not on the agenda, the Michigan Independent Redistribution Commission approved its first draft statewide map for publication ahead of a series of ‘public hearings later this month.
The draft state Senate map, voted on at Friday’s committee meeting on Friday, would dramatically disrupt existing constituencies and, as drawn, make the partisan makeup of the upper house more competitive than it is has been for decades.
Although the commission has been building at this point for weeks, the vote itself was unusual on several fronts. Only nine of the 13 members of the committee were present, the minimum required for a quorum to take the votes. Voting on draft maps was not on the committee’s agenda for the day, and the planning process previously agreed to by the commissioners called for votes on legislative and congressional maps early on. of the next week.
Related: The latest critic from the Michigan Redistribution Commission? The group behind its creation
A majority of commissioners in attendance chose to put that process on hold and vote on the Senate map on Friday, in part because they deemed it to meet the constitutional requirements the panel must follow to finalize Michigan’s political constituency boundaries for the next decade.
In total, Democrat Dustin Witjes, Independents Janice Vallette and Richard Weiss, and Republicans Cynthia Orton and Doug Clark voted to go ahead and approve the card, while President Rebecca Szetela, an independent, the vice -President MC Rothhorn, a Democrat, and independents Steve Lett and Anthony Eid voted no.
Commissioners who voted no said they were primarily concerned about the procedural change, especially with so many members absent. Four commissioners – Democrats Juanita Curry and Brittni Kellom and Republicans Erin Wagner and Rhonda Lange – were absent for the vote itself, although Lange and Kellom were present for other parts of the meeting.
Read the State Senate A la Carte Commissioners’ draft approved on Friday below. (Can’t see the map? Click here)
Based on the metrics used by commissioners to determine partisan fairness, the draft state Senate map approved by commissioners on Friday slightly favors Republicans, but would lead to a competitive map that could give Democrats a shot at capturing the majority for the first time in decades.
The measures under consideration include the Imbalanced Margin, which analyzes the concentration of Democratic and Republican voters in constituencies as proposed, and the Efficiency Gap, which quantifies the number of “wasted votes” cast in elections – the votes cast for the losing candidate and the votes. above 50% for the winning candidate. A low efficiency gap score indicates a more politically neutral map.
Both of these metrics show that the map favors Republicans slightly overall, with an unbalanced 4.5% margin advantage in favor of Republicans and a 3.2% efficiency gap, also favoring Republican candidates.
But in one key measure, the share of seats per vote, a commission analysis of past election data over the decade since the last redistribution process has shown a slight advantage for Democrats, indicating the possibility of a split. from 20 to 18 seats with the Democrats in the majority. The house is currently split 20-16 in favor of Republicans with two open seats with Republican leanings.
Other factors that commissioners must consider are a card’s compliance with the federal population and the requirements of the Voting Rights Act to ensure that minority communities get fair representation, as well as communities of interest. , geographic contiguity and compactness.
The process is still far from over – the committee’s vote on the State Senate’s draft map means it is an official draft presented to the public ahead of the panel’s five public hearings that will have held from October 18 to 26.
Commissioners also tinkered with plans for State House and congressional districts on Friday, though votes on those plans are due next week.
The committee’s current schedule is for members to vote on the proposed cards on November 5, after which an additional 45-day public comment period would begin. According to the current schedule, the first day the committee could vote on the adoption of the cards is December 30.
The final cards for the Congressional and State House and Senate lines require the approval and majority support of at least two Republicans, two Democrats and two independents on the commission.
Even if they end within the proposed deadline, it will be well after the November 1 deadline set in the constitutional amendment that created the committee. Commissioners have long said that the months-long delay in U.S. census data caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is significantly complicating the constitutionally scheduled timeline.
Browse the commission cards
The commission recently created a portal featuring all the maps offered by the State House, Senate and Congress, created jointly and by individual commissioners. See these cards here.
Public hearings:
- October 18: Grand Rapids
- October 20: Detroit
- October 21: Lansing
- October 25: Gaylord
- October 26: Flint
How to weigh:
Residents can provide feedback on their preferred neighborhood lines in person or remotely at regular panel meetings, or submit comments and proposed draft plans to the panel’s public comment portal.
For more information, the Michiganders are encouraged to check the commission’s website or call 833-968-3729, although official comments on the redistribution process cannot be taken over the phone.
Those without Internet access can send their comments to the committee at MICRC, PO Box 30318, Lansing, MI 48909.
Learn more about the Michigan redistribution process:
In response to lack of time, Michigan redistribution commission cuts public hearings
Draft maps for Michigan’s new legislative districts currently favor Republicans, analysis finds
The Michigan Redistribution Commission has promised transparency. Why was it so difficult to follow their work?
The last time Michigan redesigned its political ridings, it gathered minority voters, data shows
Michigan redistribution commission changes its card-drawing schedule again
As Michigan redistribution deadline looms, commission chairman missed 10 of last 14 meetings
US census data has arrived. The drawing of the political map of Michigan can finally begin.
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What happens now that Michigan’s first round of redistribution hearings are over?
Michigan Supreme Court dismisses redistribution commission request for more time to redraw political maps
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