(A)s a life-long Republican, Inks said, when I saw District 14 from the proposed (congressional) map, even I cringed because of how awkward and mangled it was. Such gerrymandering takes the focus off of the good things the GOP has done for the state and makes the party look like they need to ‘cheat’ to win.
Congratulations to Nathan Inks, a resident of Lincoln Park, a CMU Student and the president of Central Michigan University’s College Republicans, whose plan was selected to win the $1,000.00 prize for the highest scored congressional district plan submitted to the competition.
You can view his map by clicking the image to the right.
Thanks to all those who participated in the competition for doing such a wonderful job!
June 23, 2011: Detroit Free Press: See Stephen Henderson’s brilliant article on how biased the current process is, and how the MCRC’s process prevents partisanship and helps create fair districts drawn in the voter’s interests. Or as a PDF.
See the Winning Plans We Submitted to the Michigan House and Senate.
Congratulations to all of the entrants in the 2011 Michigan Citizens’ Redistricting Competition!
On Monday, May 23 and Weds May 25 we formally submitted several of the top scoring plans to the Michigan House and Senate for consideration in their process for drawing district lines.
But it’s not over yet!
In the coming days we will post the highest scoring maps on our website for anyone to review. We will invite public comment on these plans, and through that process the judging panel will select the final winning Congressional map.
A great thanks is due to the Public Mapping Project and Dr. Michael McDonald, creator of the District Builder software. We also owe a tremendous debt of thanks to the team at MCIC and the Midwest Democracy Network for providing us with the software and technical guidance.
What is the Michigan Citizens’ Redistricting Competition?
Every 10 years, the Michigan legislature redraws district lines for U.S. Congress and the state legislature. These district lines can keep our communities together or split them apart, and affect whether we have representatives who feel responsible for our concerns.
The “Michigan Citizens’ Redistricting Competition” is a nonpartisan project to give citizens a voice in the 2011 redistricting process.
By entering the competition, Michigan residents can craft and design their own redistricting maps for Congressional or Michigan legislative districts. The maps that best fit with objective and fair criteria will be submitted to the Michigan legislature for consideration.
We believe that voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around. And we hope that this contest will demonstrate how a nonpartisan, open, transparent and inclusive redistricting process based on objective criteria and citizen input can produce fair legislative districts in Michigan.
Who is eligible?
Any current resident of the state of Michigan can enter the contest. You are also free to work in teams or submit a plan as a class. Read the Competition Rules and Procedures for more information.
What is the timeline for the competition?
Monday, May 2, 2011: The Competition officially begins. Click here to enter the competition and begin drawing maps!
Entrants will have 3 weeks from the beginning of the competition to use the software and upload their maps.
Monday, May 23, 2011: All maps must be submitted by 12pm ET to be considered for the competition.
Monday, May 23, 2011 at 5pm ET: The highest scoring maps will be announced, posted online, and submitted to the Michigan state legislature for consideration.
Tuesday May 31 – Tuesday, June 15: The highest scoring Congressional District maps will be posted on our website for public comment. The Congressional plan that receives the highest support from the public will be selected as the “People’s Plan.”
Thursday, June 17: The winning Congressional District map will be announced.
The Public Mapping Project software will remain available through this website through 2011. In addition, entrants are considered authors and owners of the maps they create, and are free to use any map created via this website and the Public Mapping Software for their own purposes, including but not limited to directly submitting their map for consideration to the Michigan state legislature.
How do I enter?
Once you’ve read the rules and procedures, visit our software page to learn about how to draw a map, and then click here to enter the competition and begin drawing your districts.
Still have questions? Email Director@MichiganRedistricting.Org or call the Michigan Center for Election Law at (313) 566-0538.
