Voters rally to demand Court "Let Michigan Vote" on redistricting reform

LANSING – Hundreds of voters rallied in front of the Hall of Justice today to protect their right vote in November on the Voters Not Politicians redistricting reform ballot measure, as the Michigan Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the issue inside.

"The Michigan Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that our proposal belongs on the ballot, saying the effort by the pro-gerrymandering group 'Citizens Protecting Michigan's Constitution' has 'no merit,'" said Katie Fahey, founder and executive director of Voters Not Politicians. "The law is clear: we met the criteria and requirements to exercise our rights as citizens to amend the state Constitution. We fully expect the Supreme Court to side with the law and the 425,000 Michigan voters who signed to get our proposal on the ballot, instead of the special interests that will do whatever they can to maintain the status quo."

The rally brought together just part of the massive volunteer army that collected 425,000 valid petition signatures in just 110 days, along with members of several coalition partners who support redistricting reform, including the Sierra Club, League of Women Voters, and NAACP. Many carried American flags, and expressed interest in taking back control of state government from special interests who benefit from the current closed door redistricting process.

"We see supporters from across Michigan joining our campaign to end the rigged redistricting system, where politicians go behind closed doors to draw districts that benefit themselves, their party, and their special interests. More than 425,000 Michigan voters - Republican, Democrats, and Independents - signed our petition and tens of thousands have volunteered or donated to our campaign. The citizens of Michigan are bringing this change. Voters are ready to put an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission in charge, which will operate in public and is prohibited from drawing voting maps that give a partisan or political advantage, today we are asking to give the people the option to vote on this critical proposal on November 6," said Fahey.

In recent weeks, the campaign has received important endorsements from the Ann Arbor Ypsilanti Chamber and former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, showing the broad support for the proposal. It has already earned endorsements from the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club Michigan Chapter, ACLU of Michigan, League of Women Voters of Michigan, and others.