Michigan's Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission adopted its first map Tuesday for the 13 congressional districts that will govern Michigan's U.S. House maps for the next 10 years.
Commissioners cheered after eight of their 13 members voted in favor of the "Chestnut" map. The majority in favor of the plan included the constitutionally required "2-2-2" majority, or support from two Democratic members, two Republicans and two Independents.
"I see it as kind of a compromise between all the plans we have," Commissioner Anthony Eid, an Independent, said ahead of the vote.
He noted the map addressed some requested changes from early in the public comment period, including some tweaks in West Michigan, efforts to keep the Midland area mostly whole, and slightly higher Black voting age population percentages in Metro Detroit congressional districts.
"The sentiment from the public was for Chestnut really without many reservations at all," said Commissioner Steven Lett, an Independent.
Unlike other congressional maps the commission had to choose from, Chestnut was set apart by its inclusion of Grand Rapids and Muskegon in the same district, its grouping of Battle Creek and Kalamazoo and its ability to keep Jackson County whole, instead of breaking off part of the county into an Ann Arbor District.
The map also moves South Lyon and part of Milford into a Lansing area district.
Commissioners acknowledged Tuesday that the five proposed congressional district maps were likely the least controversial of the 15 proposed for the state House, state Senate and U.S. House maps.
The group still has to vote on their choices for the state Senate and state House maps, amid continued opposition to the state House maps in particular.
Even after the voting is complete, likely on Wednesday, the panel expects to encounter legal challenges to the maps. The 13th Congressional District Democratic Party Organization said Tuesday it was contemplating litigation over the proposed maps.
The panel spent much of its first day of voting Tuesday ironing out the process they'd follow for the final vote and listening to continued objections to the proposed maps during a more than hour-long public comment period.
More than 50 individuals addressed the commission at the start of the meeting and, in public comment, a few different maps emerged as largely preferred by the public: the Hickory map for the state House districts, Linden for the state Senate map and Birch or Chestnut for congressional districts.
But many of those commenting asked the commission to hold off and make changes to maps, especially the House proposed plans. One commenter called Hickory "the best of the worst" choices.
"The evidence shows that Michigan is still racially segregated," said NAACP Lansing branch President Bill Kopich, noting four Michigan counties contain a majority of Michigan's Black population. "There’s no way in the world that you’ll be able to represent them by splitting them up into counties they have no representation in.
"I hope you will consider this in your discussions and deliberations to put forth a method that would better represent people of color," he said.
After extensive discussion regarding the possibility of making changes to the maps, the commission voted Tuesday to bar any changes to the plans amid legal ambiguity over whether or not those changes would trigger another 45-day public comment period.
Tuesday's vote was preceded by a Detroit press conference with Detroit pastors and politicians urging the commission to make changes to avoid dilution of the Black vote.
"The city of Detroit right now is at a precipice," State Sen. Adam Hollier, D-Detroit, said during a news conference at the Shrine of the Black Madonna on Linwood. "We're talking about whether or not it will continue to have representatives that are from this community."
In some of the maps, the commission decreased the number of majority-Black districts in the proposed maps by stretching Detroit districts into the suburbs in an effort to increase partisan fairness and "unpack" past efforts to isolate the Democratic vote to certain districts. But Detroit leaders have argued the commission did too much to unpack the Detroit area and have damaged minority voters' chances of getting their preferred candidate through primary elections.
But the commission's consultants have repeatedly said there are other ways to comply with Voting Rights Act requirements than setting an arbitrary percentage of Black voting age population with which the districts must comply.
Earlier Tuesday, Jonathan Kinloch, chairman of the 13th District Democratic Party Organization, and a Wayne County Commissioner representing Detroit's east side, threatened litigation "if necessary" over the commission's proposed congressional district maps.
"Michigan needs and deserves a congressional and state legislative delegation. That represents all the people of Michigan," Kinloch said in a Tuesday statement. "That's the only way to ensure every voice is heard. These current congressional maps are a serious step backwards, limiting the voice of African-Americans, and that is unacceptable."
Staff Writer James David Dickson contributed.
