LANSING - Michigan Democrats have their best shot in decades to take control of the state Legislature after an independent commission voted in December on new political district boundaries that likely create many more competitive elections than in previous years. Democrats have been in the minority in the state House since 2011 and the Senate since 1984. While there is no guarantee they will win control of
LANSING — Michigan’s citizen redistricting panel could approve maps this month that would make the state far more competitive, giving Democrats a solid chance at controlling the state Legislature for the first time in decades. But many African-American leaders fear the approach will reduce their clout, as the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission’s proposals have
LANSING - Back in the 1910s and 1920s, Michigan was sitting where it's going after the next election. It had 13 congressional seats. From 1914 to 1930, the map looked the same. Detroit essentially had its own district, Oakland anchored its own district, stretching into Genesee and Ingham counties. Macomb anchored its own district with
LANSING - Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission filed suit last week asking the Michigan Supreme Court to extend the time to draw the new congressional and legislative redistricting maps. The suit says the current constitutional deadline is untenable because the public comment period should begin on Sept. 17, but
ANN ARBOR - Implementation of the Michigan redistricting commission should proceed as planned, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday. Two cases brought against the state by the Michigan Republican Party and individual state Republicans asked the court to declare the voter-approved commission unconstitutional and halt its formation. “Today’s federal court decision upholding the
LANSING - A U.S. District court judgment that Michigan legislative Republicans deliberately drew a partisan gerrymandered congressional and legislative lines for the 2012 to 2020 elections was vacated by the U.S. Supreme Court Monday in light of its ruling last June that nothing in the U.S. Constitution actually forbids partisan gerrymandering. But in that same
LANSING - Arguing the court has "found significant evidence of partisan gerrymandering," Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson filed a brief in the League of Women Voters of Michigan redistricting lawsuit that opens the door to her cutting a deal to have legislative districts redrawn for 2020. Recently, Republican House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R-Levering), Rep. Aaron
LANSING - After a repeated standoff between Republican and Democratic members of the Board of State Canvassers and repeated requests by officials of Voters Not Politicians to change the ballot language to better reflect what they said was the spirit of its redistricting proposal, a slight change allowed a 3-1 majority to approve what will
