The MML Review March-April 2022

Adoption of Final Maps The MICRC adopted the final maps Tuesday, December 28, 2021. The commission published the final maps Thursday, January 27. Included with the final maps were reference materials and data used in drawing the final maps and any programming information used to produce and test the plan. Additionally, the commission is required to issue a report for the Michigan Congress, Michigan State Senate, and Michigan State House that shares the process for achieving compliance for each plan, the map for each plan, and the legal description for each district. Any commissioner who voted against any plan may provide a dissenting report. The public can access this report starting Friday, March 25. Szetela said the process was complex because following the seven ranked redistricting criteria and balancing it with all the public comments wasn’t easy, but she was pleased with the results. “I hope everybody is happy with the maps. We worked very hard on them, and we did try to come up with a fair product,” Szetela said. “I think that’s one of the strengths of this commission—we had people from different parties, we all worked together, and we pretty much had over majority support for every map we produced.”

National Attention President Barack Obama, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Brennan Center for Justice, and the Princeton Gerrymandering Project lauded the commission for its work in drawing the lines. Knowing that other states are considering independent citizens redistricting commissions, the MICRC voted to develop the lessons learned report and video to showcase the process used by the commission to draw fair maps through public outreach. In addition, the commission engaged the public to provide recommendations for improvement to include in the lessons learned report and video scheduled for release in Spring 2022. Maps Go into Effect March 28, 2022 Pending any lawsuits, the adopted redistricting plan with new legislative boundaries for the state House, state Senate and congressional districts will become law effective Monday, March 28. These district maps impact the 2022 primary and general elections. The MICRC staff includes Executive Director Suann Hammersmith, General Counsel Julianne Pastula, Communications and Outreach Director Edward Woods III, and Executive Assistant Sara Martinez. Edward Woods III is the communications and outreach director for the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. You may reach him at 517.335.3333 or WoodsE3@michigan.gov.

MARCH / APRIL 2022

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THE REVIEW