SIERRA CLUB NEEDS YOU
TO HELP PROTECT OUR DEMOCRACY
Every 10 years following the U.S. Census, district lines for political offices must be redrawn in states across the country to accurately reflect their population. In Michigan, a randomly selected commission of citizens is responsible for drawing U.S. Congressional and Michigan State House and Senate district lines. Voters amended the state constitution in the November 2018 general election to make citizens — not legislators or special interests — responsible for drawing district lines (called “redistricting”). The commission will be composed of 13 randomly-selected Michigan registered voters: four who affiliate with the Democratic Party, four who affiliate with the Republican Party, and five who do not affiliate with either major political party.
Get Involved - Apply to Serve on The Commission
Don't like how the Michigan legislature treats the environment? Feel like your concerns are being swiped aside while special interests get all the attention? A big factor in the current political state of affairs in Michigan is that officials have manipulated voting maps to keep themselves in power in a process called redistricting or gerrymandering. Legislators have chosen the voters instead of the voters choosing them. Now we have a chance to change that with the new Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission! Apply today!
If you have any other questions about the application or want to find out more information and resources about the Independent Redistricting Commission check out the Secretary of States' Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission webpage here at the link.
All applications must be printed and notarized before being returned to the Michigan Department of State by June 1, 2020. To find free notary public services near you, please visit Michigan.gov/FreeNotary.
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What is the Sierra Club doing?
In order to identify and articulate the values that need to be imbedded in any particular local or state policy on redistricting, the Sierra Club has adopted principles on redistricting, written by a diverse coalition of 16 civil rights and democracy organizations led by Common Cause. In 2015, the Sierra Club’s board of directors approved a resolution to work on fair and representative redistricting.
What can you do?
Sierra Club groups and chapters interested in engaging in redistricting in your community should consider the principles below and contact the Democracy Program Director Courtney Hight at courtney.hight@sierraclub.org.
Want to know more?
Check out Common Cause’s page on redistricting and the redistricting principles, agreed upon by a diverse coalition of 16 organizations.
Sierra Club endorsed candidates and voter information