Calling it a “truly historic day for Michigan,” the Secretary of State’s office has revealed the selection of 13 members of the first ever Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission in Michigan, completed through a random selection today. Not everybody is happy with the results, either, including, most notably Congressman Bill Huizenga.
The 13 commissioners of the state’s first ever Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission randomly selected today include the following:
| Republican | Democrat | Not Affiliated with Either Party |
| Erin Wagner | M. Rothorn | Janice Vallette |
| Cynthia Orton | Juanita Curry | James Decker |
| Douglas Clark | Dustin Witjes | Richard Weiss |
| Rhonda Lange | Brittni Kellom | Steven Lett |
| Anthony Eid |
Those 13 commissioners will be charged with redrawing the boundaries of Michigan’s state and Congressional election districts. Their selection follows action by Michigan voters who passed a constitutional amendment in the 2018 election that strips the authority for redistricting from the state Legislature.
Assistant Secretary of State Heaster Wheeler says, “This is truly a historic day for Michigan, as we are among the first states in the nation to end gerrymandering with an independent citizens commission,” adding, “I am hopeful that the same enthusiasm we saw during the application process will continue when the Commission begins meeting this fall, and that commissioners will be bolstered by public input as they make our election districts more fair for all Michiganders.”
Congressman Bill Huizenga released the following statement after it was revealed that West Michigan and communities along the Lakeshore will not be adequately represented on that commission:
“Already this selection process being implemented by Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has silenced millions of West Michigan voters. The fact that Kent County and the entire lakeshore from Mason County to the Indiana border doesn’t have a voice in this process is stunning.”
Nearly 10,000 Michiganders had applied to serve on the Commission during a months-long application process. In accordance with the state Constitution, the pool was narrowed to 200 applications by a previous random selection before the state Legislature removed 20 more applications. The 13 commissioners were selected randomly by an independent accounting firm, Rehman LLC, from the final pool of 180 applicants.
A message from Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on this historic moment can be viewed online by clicking the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt07E2bhpvY&feature=youtu.be
A video of the selection, the applications of the commissioners, and more information on the Commission is available at http://RedistrictingMichigan.org.
