The current redistricting cycle is about far more than the typical partisan jockeying for control of the House. Ultimately, it presents a critical test for the efficacy of independent redistricting commissions. Advocated by an increasing number of left-leaning activists, lawmakers, and policy centers, some form of redistricting commission is currently used in fourteen states. According to proponents, these commissions are essential to ending partisan gerrymandering and ensuring the creation of fair maps. Contrary to the praises sung by their proponents, however, these commissions are proving to be unrepresentative, equally partisan as legislative redistricting, and incapable of producing a proper system of representation.
The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) is a prime example of these unwanted ramifications. Like other independent commissions, one of the most touted elements of the MICRC was its supposed “independence” from either political party. The commission sought to accomplish this non-partisan status through providing for an equal number of Democrat and Republican members, buttressed by a larger number of independents, and requiring a concurrence of two members from each cohort to approve a district slate.
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