Gerrymandering

Group seeks to end partisan redistricting

MARQUETTE -- An independent, impartial commission is the answer to problems caused by gerrymandering, says a volunteer group called Voters Not Politicians.

Gerrymandering's effects on Michigan voters were discussed Thursday at a meeting of the Marquette Chapter of the American Association of University Women at the Federated Women's Clubhouse.

Gerrymandering is the drawing of political boundaries in electoral districts to give one party an advantage over other parties.

Voters Not Politicians proposes an independent citizens redistricting commission of registered Michigan voters that consists of four Democrats, four Republicans and four independent voters who draw voting districts using guidelines that ensure fairness to everyone.

Business would be conducted at public hearings. A minimum of two Republicans, two Democrats and two Independent members of the commission would approve the final maps to show transparency, unlike the current behind-closed-doors system.

Madeline Koval of Marquette, a member of Voters Not Politicians, attended the program, saying the group is gathering signatures to put a proposition to create such a commission on the ballot.

"We want voters to have a choice, that the voters pick their politicians, not the politicians picking the voters," Koval said. "When the census comes, whatever party is in power, they redraw district lines for their benefit. They don't give any reason. They don't have to explain themselves. It's behind closed doors."

The group's aim, she said, is to get the proposition on the November 2018 ballot.

The headline speaker at the AAUW program was Hal Gurian, a Republican from downstate Traverse City

When Gurian lived in Maryland, he witnessed redistricting in which the Democratic Party gerrymandered voting districts. When he moved to Michigan, he discovered the Republicans were doing the same thing to Democrats.

"Can Michigan politicians choose the voters they want?" Gurian asked. "Absolutely, they can. Legally. Gerrymandering is 100 percent legal in every state in the union."

In the Michigan House of Representatives, the committee responsible for elections and redistricting is composed of six Republicans and three Democrats. In the Michigan Senate, five Republicans and a Democrat comprise that committee, Gurian said.

He explained gerrymandering occurs when voters are "packed" into a single district, or spread around, or "cracked."

He gave one example of how gerrymandering can work.

"If you see a politician and he's in a minority party and you want to get rid of him, you try and have him thrown into another district to compete against someone else of the same party so they both have to run in the primary," Gurian said.

Only one candidate can win.

"This is done all the time by each party," Gurian said.

Gerrymandering can be ended through the U.S. Supreme Court, with a current case involving Wisconsin Democrats suing Republicans over the issue, he said.

"So, let's assume the Supreme Court says, 'The Republicans are wrong. Redraw your districts,'" Gurian said. "Who's redrawing the districts? Republicans."

However, he noted the Republicans are suing the Democrats in Maryland over the same thing.

"I think the court is good," Gurian said. "It's a start. But the best answer -- to me, the only answer -- is amending our Constitution so that we can have an independent, non-partial board. That gets the politicians 100 percent out of it."

According to www.votersnotpoliticians.com, a Michigan ballot initiative requires 315,654 valid signatures that must be collected in a 180-day window.

Gurian said that ideally, garnering at least 400,000 signatures, with the possibility some would be thrown out, would be needed to get its gerrymandering initiative on the ballot.

What are the criteria, then, for how a voting district would be drawn should the initiative succeed?

"We have a budget of $4.5 million," Gurian said. "We can hire consultants. What we don't want to do is take school districts and split them up."

The group also wouldn't want to "cut a town in half," but it would consider population, he said.

"You're not going to have a district in Detroit coming all the way up to the Upper Peninsula, all right? Because there's no common interest there," Gurian said.

Also, a political party or candidate could not be favored.

"Please don't think that if this occurs, and I hope it does, this is ideal and it'll be perfect," Gurian said of the proposed redistricting. "It won't be. But maybe what will happen is we'll have districts that are 52-48 rather than 70-30."

With the 52-48 split, the person running for the office has to speak to the 48, he said.

"That's what I'm hoping will happen -- that we could actually have more moderate Republicans and more moderate Democrats winning, and believe in dialogue," Gurian said. "But it's up to the voter to pressure for that."

Christie Bleck can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.

Hal Gurian of downstate Traverse City speaks about gerrymandering Thursday at a meeting of the Marquette Chapter of the American Association of University Women at the Federated Women's Clubhouse. A group called Voters Not Politicians wants to get an initiative on the November 2018 ballot in Michigan that would establish an independent commission, which would draw voting districts. (Journal photo by Christie Bleck)

Hal Gurian of downstate Traverse City speaks about gerrymandering Thursday at a meeting of the Marquette Chapter of the American Association of University Women at the Federated Women’s Clubhouse. A group called Voters Not Politicians wants to get an initiative on the November 2018 ballot in Michigan that would establish an independent commission, which would draw voting districts. (Journal photo by Christie Bleck)