New Michigan voting district maps went into effect last week, and officials now are working to update the voter rolls.
Despite ongoing litigation, the Bureau of Elections and Secretary of State are making the necessary changes to the qualified voter file – the database that ties cities and townships to statewide voter registration files.
One lawsuit is still making its way through the proper channels, while another was thrown out recently by the Michigan Supreme Court.
Quentin Turner – program director with Common Cause Michigan – said for many people, their district lines may not have changed all that much.
“But for a good portion of Michiganders, especially when it comes to our congressional districts,” said Turner, “they’re potentially in a brand new district, which is going to have new representation after this coming election in 2022.”
The deadline for candidates to file to run for office in Michigan is April 19, so they’ll need to know which districts they live in before then. The state primary is on August 2, and the general election is on November 8.
Turner said voters are more tuned in to this year’s redistricting cycle than they have been in the past.
“Just by the nature of the commission being citizen-led and responsible to the citizens,” said Turner, “folks are paying a lot more attention to the work that they’re doing and how their maps are going to affect our upcoming elections.”
He added that residents who are curious about whether their districts have changed can go to the Secretary of State’s website to find out, although since the new maps just went into effect, it will take some time to update.
He noted Common Cause also has a lookup tool that lists all elected officials based on your residential address, at commoncause.org/find-your-representative.
