DETROIT (November 6, 2018) - Proposal 2, an anti-gerrymandering ballot measure sponsored by Voters Not Politicians, won at the ballot box today. Michiganders soundly rejected gerrymandering, the manipulation of electoral maps to ensure that one party remains in power.
“Michigan has a long tradition of standing up to fight back against the status quo,” said Emily Wietecha, Chapter Leader of Represent Metro Detroit. “This election cycle was no exception. With so much at stake, we knew that coming together to establish these crucial reforms was our only way to make a stand.”
Michigan consistently ranks as one of the most “gerrymandered” states in the country. With this new requirement for an independent citizens commission to draw fair maps for Michigan’s fourteen congressional districts, the impact of this vote will have national impact.
“We’re seeing a wave of political reform that is unprecedented in modern history,” said Josh Silver, co-founder and Executive Director of RepresentUs, the nation’s leading right-left anti-corruption group. “Special interests and lobbyists have rigged the system against the people, and now the people are taking matters into their own hands to unrig the system.”
The grassroots movement behind the initiative was led by a group called Voters Not Politicians, which collected over 425,000 signatures in a little over 100 days through an all-volunteer effort. Proposal 2 creates an independent redistricting commission for congressional and state legislative districts to fix Michigan’s broken redistricting process.
This anti-gerrymandering ballot measure brought together broad and diverse coalitions of conservatives, progressives, and everyone in between. The initiative came under attack when the Michigan Chamber of Commerce sued to try to keep it off the ballot, but Represent Michigan fought for their right to vote on the measure. Because of their efforts, the citizens of Michigan can now look forward to a more open and fair process during the state's next round of redistricting.
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RepresentUs is the nation’s leading right-left anti-corruption group, bringing together conservatives, progressives and everyone in between to pass anti-corruption laws in cities and states around the country.