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Michigan voters will decide how district lines are drawn

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The Michigan Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that voters can decide how district lines are drawn.

An initiative to change how Michigan draws its political boundaries is headed for the November ballot.

In a 4-3 ruling late Tuesday night, the Michigan Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit challenging a redistricting ballot proposal.

Currently Michigan’s political district lines are drawn by the state Legislature every 10 years. This proposal would create a commission made up of Independents, Republicans and Democrats to decide the political lines.

Read more: 5 things to know about the ballot proposal to end gerrymandering in Michigan

Katie Fahey is with the group Voters Not Politicians. It’s been working for more than a year to get the measure on the ballot. She says she’s happy that the group can now focus on a single task – getting people to vote.

“We are planning to move full steam ahead on getting Michiganders to understand what an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission means for Michigan and voting yes on Proposal 2," she said.

The opposition to the measure said it would essentially change the powers of the state government and was too extensive an overhaul for a ballot proposal.

The Michigan Court of Appeals rejected that argument – and so did the highest court in the state.

The court said the proposal does not significantly alter the structure of Michigan’s government.

Now voters will get to decide in November.

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting.
Before becoming the newest Capitol reporter for the Michigan Public Radio Network, Cheyna Roth was an attorney. She spent her days fighting it out in court as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Ionia County. Eventually, Cheyna took her investigative and interview skills and moved on to journalism. She got her masters at Michigan State University and was a documentary filmmaker, podcaster, and freelance writer before finding her home with NPR. Very soon after joining MPRN, Cheyna started covering the 2016 presidential election, chasing after Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and all their surrogates as they duked it out for Michigan. Cheyna also focuses on the Legislature and criminal justice issues for MPRN. Cheyna is obsessively curious, a passionate storyteller, and an occasional backpacker. Follow her on Twitter at @Cheyna_R
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