Invitations will soon be in the mail asking voters to apply to be part of Michigan’s new redistricting commission.
The Michigan Secretary of State has been handed a list of 250,000 randomly selected voters. They will be asked to apply for a position on the commission. The commission will be in charge of drawing political district lines.
People can also apply to serve whether or not they receive a letter.
“We wanted the Secretary of State to have to reach out to regular voters all across the state. It’s really just to reach a broader subset of Michigan voters and to tell that there is this opportunity and to encourage them to apply,” said Nancy Wang. She’s with the Voters Not Politicians campaign.
Wang says the ultimate goal is to find 13 people who represent an accurate cross-section of the voting public. It’s supposed to reflect age, ethnicity, and where voters live, as well as a balance of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.
“The whole principle behind the redistricting amendment was to take back redistricting from the politicians and put it in the hands of regular voters, so we’re trying to really reach as many voters as possible – people from all across the state, all across the political spectrum,” she said.
The amendment was overwhelmingly approved last year by voters. But it still faces a federal court challenge.
The letters should arrive in mailboxes by the end of the year or early January.
