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Michiganders from across the state are applying to serve on the redistricting commission

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced today that 3,000 applications – or nearly half of the more than 6,000 applications received to date – for the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission have been processed, and that the public comment period is now open for the weighted selection methodology proposed to identify the 200 semifinalists.

“The fact that so many Michiganders have applied from across the state and demographic and political spectrums shows there is tremendous interest in serving and reshaping our democracy,” said Benson.

A profile of the pool of applicants whose applications have already been processed is available at RedistrictingMichigan.org. The data will be updated regularly as more applications are processed. Applications have already been processed from residents in 82 of Michigan’s 83 counties.

Voters amended the state constitution in 2018 to give the responsibility for drawing state and congressional electoral districts to an independent commission of Michigan voters. Applications for the commission are still being accepted and must be submitted by June 1, 2020. Ultimately 13 commissioners will be randomly selected, four affiliated with the Republican party, four affiliated with the Democratic party, and five unaffiliated voters.

The commission’s 13 members will be selected from a pool of 200 semifinalists. The constitution requires that the semifinalist pool “mirror the geographic and demographic makeup of the state.” Through a public solicitation, the Department of State selected an independent third-party accounting firm, Rehmann LLC, to create and conduct a weighted selection to identify the 200 semifinalists. The proposed methodology for this selection is now open for public comment at RedistrictingMichigan.org. Comments will be accepted until March 27.

 

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For media questions, contact
Mike Doyle at DoyleM@Michigan.gov

More information is available at RedistrictingMichigan.org 
Demographics of applicants to the commission 
Selection methodology for determining 200 semifinalists