Experts defend splitting Detroit districts, telling a court that doing so made statewide legislative maps less partisan. A trial will determine if the new districts dilute the power of Black voters.
Michigan redistricting
Posted inMichigan Government
What legal battle over racial makeup of Detroit districts means for Michigan
A three-judge panel is weighing whether Michigan’s independent redistricting commission discriminated against Black voters when drawing legislative political districts.
Posted inMichigan Government
Former Michigan redistricting chair: process 'became all about race'
A three-judge panel will decide if electoral maps drawn by the state’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission violate the rights of Black Detroit voters.
Posted inMichigan Government
Do Michigan’s political maps dilute power of Black voters? Trial will decide
An independent commission’s redraw of legislative maps following the 2020 Census faces scrutiny on claims it diluted representation for minority voters by extending Detroit districts into the suburbs.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan lawmakers consider end to ‘prison gerrymandering'
A Detroit senator wants Michigan prison populations to be counted in the communities they’re from instead of prison locations. The change could make a big difference in how political districts are crafted, especially in rural areas.
Posted inMichigan Government
Trial to weigh if Michigan legislative maps discriminate against Black voters
A three-judge U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals panel determined nine state legislative districts would proceed to trial over claims the district maps violate the Voting Rights Act.
Posted inMichigan Government
End may be near for Michigan redistricting panel, a year after finishing maps
The commission created by voters in 2018 to end gerrymandering adopted a plan to go dormant this week once lawsuits against its work wrap up.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan Republicans lost badly statewide, but scored big in county races
Despite a solid victory for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and fellow Democrats in the Michigan Legislature, Republicans increased their share of county commission seats, where maps are still drawn by local politicians.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan redistricting commission sues for funding, long after finishing maps
The panel, which was unfunded by the Legislature in the current fiscal year, is seeking $3.17 million.
Posted inMichigan Government
Gerrymandering never died in Michigan. It still haunts county boards, foes say
Voters created an independent panel in 2018 to draw fairer lines for state races. Partisans, though, still control the process for counties, and some commissions clearly favor one party.