MARQUETTE — Area residents will have a chance to apply to serve on the new Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission during a free public workshop held by the Michigan Secretary of State from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday in Marquette.

The event will be held at Northern Michigan University in the Northern Center, Founders Room, 1401 Presque Isle Ave., Marquette. Doors open at 5 p.m.

“All eligible Michigan voters are encouraged to apply to serve on the commission, which does not require any special skills or expertise,” an announcement states. “The randomly selected commission of citizens will each earn approximately $40,000 as compensation for their service.”

The workshop will include an overview of the new redistricting process and an opportunity for participants to fill out an application for the commission. The process takes about 15 minutes.

Notaries will be available to complete the notarized signature requirement for each application at no cost, organizers said. However, participants should bring a photo ID to the workshops so notaries can verify their identity.

The workshop stems from Michigan voters amending the state constitution in the November 2018 general election “to make citizens — not legislators or special interests — responsible for drawing new district lines for the Michigan Senate, Michigan House of Representatives and U.S. Congress,” organizers said.

The Marquette workshop is one in a statewide series of 10 events in 2019 “designed to promote awareness about the opportunity to serve on the commission and provide step-by-step instructions about the application process,” according to the SOS.

For more information on the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, visit RedistrictingMichigan.org.