Democrats in Michigan had considerable success in last week’s election, winning the top three statewide offices and gaining full control of the legislature for the first time in nearly 40 years.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson told members of the women’s equality organization ‘Supermajority’ that reforms put in place by Michigan voters in 2018 drove the high turnout rate this year.
“From election day registration which was key for young voters in Ann Arbor in East Lansing in particular as well as communities of color like in Dearborn as well as the right to vote from home or vote absentee which enabled that early voting enabled people to show up early in record numbers," Benson said.
Benson says new legislative boundaries created by the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission also helped make more seats competitive. Previously, the districts were drawn by the Republican majority in the legislature, and heavily gerrymandered to favor conservatives.
“We have a legislature that really reflects the demographics and the makeups in many ways - not perfectly but in many ways - of the citizens of Michigan," Benson said.
The imperfection Benson refers to… is a drop in Black representation in the state legislature.
