Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says her plans to recruit people to be part of Michigan’s new redistricting commission will work a lot like efforts to boost voter turnout.
Benson is working on plans to enact the amendment adopted by voters last November. It creates a new commission that’s supposed to draw legislative and congressional district lines independent of the influence of political parties.
Benson, a Democrat, says she’d like to see more people who are not normally interested in politics – or voting – to apply to be on the commission. She says that means recruiting from places where voter turnout is low.
“It’s the same process with this – going to where people are not applying, and engaged and personally inviting them to be engaged.”
Benson says she’s also asked the Legislature’s Republican and Democratic leaders to provide funding to recruit people from all walks of life to apply to serve on the commission.