Michigan Municipal League board joins hundreds of organizations to endorse Proposal 2 on citizen redistricting

The Michigan Municipal League Board of Trustees has voted to support the Proposal 2 Voters Not Politicians ballot initiative.

The 18-member board’s endorsement came Thursday, Sept. 20, as the League and the Michigan Association of Planning wrapped up their joint annual convention in Grand Rapids. Proposal 2 will amend the Michigan Constitution to establish an independent redistricting commission and eliminate the current process of having
the Legislature draw district boundaries, which often favors the party in control rather than candidates’ stances on the issues.

Proponents of Proposal 2, including the League, believe that it will put voters—not politicians—in charge of drawing balanced election maps that do not give one party or candidate an unfair advantage.

“The proposal would likely lead elected officials to be more accountable to all voters within their districts, giving a larger voice to those concerned with the condition of their roads, drinking water, police and fire protection, recreational opportunities and community services for seniors, veterans and children,” said Melanie Piana, president of the Michigan Municipal League Board of Trustees. 

The prestigious endorsement follows on the heels of many others, both non-partisan and from both political parties, including the Michigan Association for Justice (formerly the Michigan Defense Trial?Lawyers Association), a wide array of labor organizations, The Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber, the Association for University Women - Michigan, several chapters of the NAACP, Reclaim Our American Democracy (ROAD) of the White Lake area, Nancy Crandall, Former State Representative (Norton Shores), former U.S. Senator Carl Levin, the Lansing City Council, the League of Conservation Voters of Michigan, the League of Women Voters of Michigan, and the Progressive Women’s Alliance of West Michigan PAC.

Look for more about this proposal and the other two statewide ones in the next issue of the Examiner Muskegon County Legal News.