Redistricting Commission chair encourages citizens’ input in process

ROSEVILLE — The political landscape is set to shift in Roseville.

Anthony Eid, Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission chairman, came to the Roseville City Council meeting May 14 to provide more information about how redistricting will impact the city.

Roseville is in state Senate District 11, which will be changing. The change comes after lawsuits over the commission’s 2021 maps. It was ruled that these maps were in violation of the Voting Rights Act and needed to be redrawn. Eid encouraged the public to get involved in the process of redrawing the new district.

“All of our meetings are livestreamed, every day that we meet, on YouTube,” Eid said. “We have public comment at every meeting, and we hold large public hearings across the state to solicit feedback from the community.”

Following approval by the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan in March, Roseville is now in the Michigan House of Representatives 13th District. Eid said this was previously a solid Democratic Party region, but it is now a toss-up.

“I’m sure that, in the next election, it’ll be one folks are very focused on,” Eid said.

Once the maps are set, pending any future lawsuits, they’ll be in place until the 2030 census cycle.

The redistricting commission has 13 members: Four Democrats, four Republicans and five independents. Two members of every group and one more are needed to get a majority. The commission was created in 2018, following voters passing Proposal 2 in 2018.

“We truly need bipartisan support in order to pass any redistricted map into law,” Eid said.

Districts need to reflect diversity and “communities of interest,” according to Eid. The latter can range from shared cultural factors to economic ones. A single political party cannot be favored. Following the lawsuits in 2021, the districts cannot be drawn along racial lines.

Councilman Kurmmell Knox asked what the commission was doing differently to avoid the problems it had in 2021.

“We’re not looking at race like we did before,” Eid said.

Though, he said, once the maps are drawn, an analysis will be done to make sure the Voting Rights Act isn’t violated.

Roseville Mayor Robert Taylor asked what was wrong with the map that was approved 10 years ago.

Eid said this was done under the old process where the state Legislature determined the districts in private. He said these were drawn along political lines.

“The people of our great state decided they didn’t like how it was being done in private and instead created this commission,” Eid said. “We do everything in public. Every single one of our meetings, every single line that is drawn on a map is in public, and everybody knows why it was drawn.”

Knox also asked what the makeup of the commission was. Eid said there are nine women and five men. There are three members of color. He said the age of members often skews older. Members come from across Michigan, but there are currently no members from the Upper Peninsula. Being on the commission is a salaried position.

Meetings are livestreamed on YouTube, and the public is able to comment on these meetings. Public hearings for the maps will take place in Detroit June 11 at Cass Technical High School, June 12 at Martin Luther King High School and June 13 at Renaissance High School. Each location will have three separate sessions, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 1:30-3 p.m. and 4-7 p.m. Comments can be submitted at michigan.gov/MICRC or by calling (866) 627-3247.