Residents encouraged to weigh in on redrawing commissioner districts
Marquette County will soon have new districts for county commissioners, as the Marquette County Apportionment Commission is drawing proposed district maps based off of 2020 U.S. Census data.
The new maps will be in place for 10 years and the public has a chance to comment on proposed maps until Thursday, according to the League of Women Voters of Marquette County.
At previous meetings, the commission considered maps with five to seven districts, but they are now focused on maps with either five or six districts. The commission “hopes to hear from the public about preferred number of districts — and why — as well as which maps are favored — and why,” a news release from the League of Women Voters of Marquette County states.
Individual members of the Marquette County Apportionment Commission will soon begin posting maps of the proposed new county commissioner districts. To view the proposed maps, visit the county website at https://www.co.marquette.mi.us/newsdetail_T3_R424.php
The newly drawn districts will be used for commissioner elections in 2022 through 2030 and are “meant to ensure that the residents of each county have equal representation on their county board,” according to Michigan State University.
State law, according to Michigan State University, defines eight guidelines for apportionment and lists them in order of importance. The guidelines under MCL 46.403 for drawing districts are:
≤ Single member districts should be of “…as nearly of equal population as practicable.”
≤ They should be contiguous, meaning a district must be entirely connected
≤ They should be compact and “… as nearly square shape as is practicable.”
≤ They can’t combine parts of a township and parts of a city unless “…needed to meet the population standard.”
≤ They can’t divide townships, cities, or villages unless “…necessary to meet the population standard.”
≤ Voting precincts can only be divided if “…necessary to meet the population standard.”
≤ Residents of state institutions who can’t register to vote are not to be included in the count.
≤ “Districts shall not be drawn to effect partisan political advantage.”
The commission is chaired by Marquette County Clerk Linda Talsma, with the other members of commission being the county prosecutor, the county treasurer, the Marquette County Democratic Party chair and the Marquette County Republican Party chair.
Comments about proposed maps can be sent to Talsma at ltalsma@mqtco.org.
People also may attend what will likely be the last meeting of the commission on Friday in Room 231 of the Courthouse Annex at 234 W. Baraga Ave. in Marquette or via Zoom.
We strongly encourage Marquette County residents to view the proposed maps, attend the upcoming meeting and exercise their rights to weigh in on the process. The way these districts are drawn will have lasting impacts on the representation that county residents have on the Marquette County Board of Commissioners, which is charged with making numerous decisions regarding county finances and policy based on the interests of its constituents. In short, public participation in this process matters, as it represents a once-a-decade chance to make residents’ voices heard when it comes to county-level districting.