Lansing – State Rep. John Walsh today announced legislation to take politics out of the redistricting process.
Walsh’s legislation will require that the nonpartisan Legislative Service Bureau (LSB) draw both congressional and state legislative maps, which would allow partisan lawmakers a simple “yes” or “no” approval or rejection.
“A truly nonpartisan entity is required to ensure, on behalf of Michigan’s residents, that the districts they reside in and the elected officials that represent them are based on contiguous and continuous communities — not political leveraging,” said Walsh, R-Livonia. “This legislation would go a long way in eliminating political gamesmanship and gerrymandering. It would also provide a necessary step to increasing accountability and legitimizing the representative nature of these elected positions.”
Under Walsh’s legislation, LSB would be prohibited from considering political information, partisan affiliation or incumbency status in drawing the maps. Instead, LSB would use neutral, objective criteria which require them to preserve territorial boundaries.
Walsh noted that his plan is modeled after the highly acclaimed Iowa redistricting process.
Walsh is currently seeking co-sponsorship and intends to introduce the legislation the first week of December.