What are communities of interest (COI)?
In Michigan, redistricting has often been criticized for "gerrymandering," where political districts were drawn in ways that favored certain politicians or parties. In 2018, Michigan voters made a historic change: redistricting authority was taken away from the state legislature and assigned to the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC). This new commission consisted of a balanced group of 13 randomly selected Michigan residents, independent of direct partisan control.
One of the central priorities in Michigan's new redistricting process was to ensure fair representation for "Communities of Interest" (COIs). CLOSUP assisted the MICRC to define COIs.
Defining Communities of Interest (COIs):
While there is no single legal definition, a COI is generally understood as a group of people in a geographic area who share common interests—whether economic, historic, cultural, or otherwise—that relate to public policy issues potentially impacted by government decisions. A COI is not a political party or a group affiliated or acting on behalf of a party, an incumbent, or a political candidate.
CLOSUP research highlights that examples of COIs include:
- Historical communities
- Economic opportunity zones and tourist areas
- Racial, ethnic, and religious groups
- Immigrant communities
- Neighborhoods and school districts
- Cultural and language communities
- Geographic regions and natural feature areas
- Creative arts communities and regional media markets
CLOSUP's 2020 recommendations to MICRC included exploration into how other states and academic literature define and identify COIs, best practices for engaging these groups, and guidance for recognizing the diverse types of communities across Michigan.
The Commission's work is now complete, marking a significant step forward in establishing fairer and more transparent district boundaries. By centering Communities of Interest in the redistricting process, Michigan aimed to strengthen representation and ensure that the voices of diverse groups across the state are heard in government.
View the final district maps on the MIRC website.
Communities identified
1200+
The COI database includes over 1200 potential communities of interest across the state.
COIs in Detroit and Metro Detroit
224
A large number of potential communities of interest were identified in Detroit and the surrounding areas.
The database includes communities across the state, including in the Upper Peninsula.
Panel discussions on Communities of Interest.
CLOSUP hosted a webinar on Michigan's new approach to redistricting and how communities of interest can engage with the Commission on February 25, 2021.
Panel discussion
In the fall 2019, CLOSUP hosted a panel discussion with experts on the topic of COIs. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson provided opening remarks.
View the video
