How An Independent Oversight Committee Is Working To Reform Gerrymandering In Michigan

WAMU 88.5 | By Arfie Ghedi

Published September 23, 2020 at 3:30 PM CDT

Katie Fahey has been a key organizer in the fight to end gerrymandering in Michigan.

With the 2020 census currently underway, the redrawing of electoral districts is soon to follow. It’s a part of as gerrymandering, the process by which local, state, and national jurisdictions take stock of their demographics and change their district boundaries. The move is notorious among both Democrats and Republicans for having the ability to skew political power and divide constituent votes.

But in Michigan, the newly-minted Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission is meant to stop the tipping of the scales from those in power. As the first state in the country to end gerrymandering with independent citizen oversight, it could introduce a new vision for drawing district lines by calling on a group of constituents to decide where those boundaries lie. It’s among other state efforts that some voting advocates say would reform the current process.

As part of our “Block the Vote“ series, we’re covering the history of gerrymandering and talk to one woman who has been instrumental in the effort to reform it.