The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission largely avoided the deadlocks and partisan divides that plagued other states. And as their self-imposed end-of-year deadline loomed, commissioners approved a final product with fewer fireworks than many expected. Many national redistricting observers view that as a win.
“We didn’t have people running out of the room crying or killing each other,” the commission’s then-chair, independent Rebecca Szetela, joked as the votes concluded.
But Michigan’s redistricting story isn’t over. Even after the dust settles on current legal challenges to the lines, the redistricting overhaul’s ultimate measure of success comes down to whether the public is convinced the independently-drawn maps result in a more representative government.
Thoughts on whether commissioners met that mark varies widely, depending on who you ask.
The core of Voters Not Politicians’ message, the bet supporters made, is that the average Michigan resident cared about redistricting — or would care if offered educational material and a crash course in mapping basics.
This article was originally published by MLive. Continue reading here: https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2022/03/michigan-redistricting-was-fraught-but-its-a-poster-child-of-what-is-possible-in-a-midwest-battleground.html
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