A dozen redistricting proposals for Michigan’s state Senate are moving forward for a five-week public comment period.
The new plans are part of a court-ordered re-draw of six metro-Detroit state Senate districts.
A court had declared them declared unconstitutional racial gerrymanders.
Commission Vice Chair Brittni Kellom said her group is working this time to better include feedback from Black and other communities.
“If the people in the communities don’t understand the language, if Black people don’t understand what you’re staying and it still feels very privileged and elite, and if we’re coming in and not being accessible to them, then we’re going to miss the mark every time,” Kellom said during a virtual question and answer session Wednesday.
Six of the redistricting plans that advanced to public comment come from collaboratively drawn maps. Each of them has at least four districts that include at least a 50% Black voting age population.
The rest come from individually-submitted maps, including one, the Phoenix Plan, that had begun as a group map but was passed on by the whole commission.
Kellom indicated she wanted to submit it as an individual map as a way of giving voters more options to comment on.
The first in a planned series of hearings and town halls begins on May 29.
A series of in-person hearings in Detroit is taking place from June 11-13.
Commission Executive Director Edward Woods III said it’s vital for people to show up and give their feedback on the new plans.
“It’s nothing like making a public comment in person and having them, you look them dead in the eye and tell them this is what you want, this is my community. It’s been in my family for generations. And have that passion and let them feel it. Because they can feel it when you come,” Woods said.
In all, the public comment period runs until June 21. A final selected map is due back to the court for its consideration on June 27.
