LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Government officials in Michigan have announced that applications to serve on the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC) have been mailed out.
According to a statement, 250,000 applications have been mailed to randomly selected citizens.
The purpose of the application process is to create Michigan’s first citizens redistricting commission, which was voted for in November 2018 as Proposal 2 to amend the Michigan Constitution.
Officials say the 13 randomly selected commission members will have exclusive authority to adopt district boundaries for the Michigan Senate, Michigan House of Representatives and U.S. Congress every 10 years per Michigan law.
District lines for political offices in Michigan, as in other states, must be redrawn every decade following the U.S. Census. The Constitution requires that the Secretary of State mail applications to serve on the commission to a minimum of 10,000 randomly selected Michigan voters.
“It’s a new day for democracy in Michigan, and I encourage every Michigan voter to apply for the independent commission to participate in this historic moment,” Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said. “We’re mailing a quarter-million applications to help ensure all Michiganders know they have this opportunity. But even voters who don’t receive an application in the mail can apply online.”
Online applications can be found at RedistrictingMichigan.org. Applications must be signed in the presence of a notary and returned to the Department of State by June 1, 2020.
According to the Michigan Constitution, in June 2020, 200 semifinalists must be randomly selected from the pool of applicants. Of those applicants, 60 must affiliate with the Democratic Party, 60 with the Republican Party, and 80 must not affiliate with either party. Half of these semifinalists must be recipients of the random mailing.
Once selected, the final lineup will be made up of four Democrats, four Republicans and five unaffiliated voters. The deadline for the commission to adopt a redistricting plan for Michigan’s districts is Nov. 1, 2021.
