WARREN, Mich. – The group responsible for redrawing the boundaries of six Michigan Senate districts in the Metro Detroit area is asking for the public’s input at a series of meetings this week.
The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, or MICRC, is hosting meetings this week in Warren, Southfield, and Detroit in an effort to connect with residents. People are encouraged to share any comments or concerns, maps, or their “communities of interest” with the commission either in person or online.
The MICRC has been ordered to redraw the following Michigan Senate districts: 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, and 11. These districts are located in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties, and cover communities like Taylor, Allen Park, Detroit, Madison Heights, Royal Oak, Redford Township, Farmington Hills, Warren, Sterling Heights, and more. (Click each district number above to see that district’s current map.)
A panel of federal judges decided in December 2023 that the commission must redraw congressional maps for seven Michigan House districts and six Michigan Senate districts. The panel decided the new maps, redrawn by the MICRC in 2021, were illegally influenced by race and diluted the Black vote following a lawsuit brought by a group of Black residents.
The panel of judges in March 2024 approved redrawn districts for the seven state House seats (plus eight others) in question. The six state Senate districts in question don’t have to be redrawn right away, since senators’ terms don’t expire until 2026.
As the MICRC prepares to redraw those Michigan Senate districts, the commission is asking for input from the community. The following meetings are being held in Metro Detroit on May 7-9 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m.-3 p.m., and 4 p.m.-7 p.m. each day:
-Tuesday, May 7 in Warren at the Warren Community Center.
-Wednesday, May 8 in Southfield at the Pearls Event Center.
-Thursday, May 9 in Detroit at the Wayne State University Student Center (Suite 11).
Details about any future community meetings will be posted on the MICRC’s website here. You can call the MICRC for more information at 1-866-627-3247.