Michigan Redistricting Project

In 2018, Michigan voters approved a ballot initiative that moved responsibility for drawing Michigan's congressional and state legislative districts from the Michigan Legislature to a newly-formed bipartisan Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC). The process engaged over 30,000 public comments, surpassing expectations for public input, and considered communities of interest (COIs) for the first time before drawing Michigan's districts.

In 2023, a federal court required the MICRC to redraw 13 Detroit-area districts due to violations involving race, replacing three commissioners mid-process. New maps for State House and Senate districts were created through extensive public engagement, and the courts approved final maps in March and July 2024, respectively.

CLOSUP was instrumental in helping the State of Michigan launch and train the MICRC, as well as creating a new process to defining defining COIs. In May 2024, the MICRC asked CLOSUP to systematically aggregate, manage, analyze, and present findings on the extensive public comments submitted to the MICRC.

Now, as states across the country consider their own redistricting efforts, CLOSUP can serve as a thought partner and share lessons learned from Michigan.

What are communities of interest (COI)?

The state's new approach prioritized "Communities of Interest" as one of the most important factors the MICRC must address when designing new districts. With no set definition of Communities of Interest (COIs), CLOSUP researched and made recommendations for potential COIs in Michigan, and how to make them aware of the role they could play in the new process.

Read reports, explore the data.

When the legislature managed redistricting, it was all done behind closed doors, and the new maps were designed to keep the current majority party of the legislature in power. This process is a 180 degree change – it's all about transparency and maximizing public input.”

Tom Ivacko, former CLOSUP director