(WXYZ) — It's been nearly a year since Michigan voters passed Proposal 2, and now, the Michigan Secretary of State's Office is taking applications for people who want to serve on the commission.
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Proposal 2 was a ballot proposal to create an independent redistricting commission to re-draw state and federal congressional lines. It passed with 61 percent of voters in favor. Currently, the party in majority of the Michigan State House draws the lines.
The commission will consist of 13 randomly-selected people in Michigan from a pool of applicants who are registered voters. Four will be Republican, four Democrat, and five Independent.
After being selected, the commission will meet at locations across the state in 2020 and hold public hearings to invite further citizen input and participation. All of those meetings will be recorded and open.
According to the SOS, each commissioner will receive a compensation of $40,000, and by Nov. 1, 2021, the commission must adopt finalized and fair election district maps, which will become law on Dec. 31, 2021 and be in effect for the 2022 elections.
There are eight steps involved in the application. The SOS said it should take about 15-20 minutes. You must enter you name, birth month, birth year and zip code to confirm you are a registered voter before beginning the application. The application must also be signed in front of a notary, and all SOS offices will be offering free notary services for the application.
Step 1: You put in your contact information, including email, phone number and address. That's in case the SOS needs to contact you.
Step 2: Here, you must answer questions to see if you're eligible to serve on the commission. If you answer yes to any of the questions, you are not eligible to serve. Those restrictions include:
– You can't ave been a declared candidate for partisan, federal, state, or local office.
– You can't be an elected official to partisan federal, state, or local office
– You can't be an officer or member of the governing body of a national, state, or local political party
– You can't be a paid consultant or employee of a federal, state, or local elected official or political candidate, of a federal, state, or local political candidate’s campaign, or of a political action committee.
– You can't be an employee of the legislature
– You can't be a lobbyist agent registered with the Michigan Bureau of Elections
– You can't be an unclassified state employee pursuant to Article XI, Section 5 of the Michigan Constitution.
– You can't be a parent, stepparent, child, stepchild, or spouse of anyone who is in the sections above.
– You can't serve if you are disqualified for appointed or elected office
Step 3: You have to accept understanding that if you're selected as one of 200 semi-finalists, the contents of the application will be made public. It also makes you accept understanding that email and phone number will be kept confidential.
Step 4: Here, the SOS tells you what you can expect i you're selected. That includes several aspects, including not being able to serve or hold partisan elective office at the state level, the time commitment it will include, the open meetings that will be held, and the compensation you will receive.
Step 5: This is where they ask your party affiliation. The commission will consist of 13 people; four Republicans, four Democrats and five Independents.
Step 6: This part of the application is where you tell the SOS about yourself. It includes sex, race, birth year and zip code
Step 7: Here, you tell the SOS why you are about this. It's an option part of the application, but asks two questions that can be answered in 0-500 words. "Why do you want to serve on the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission?" and "Describe why or how you affiliate with either the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, or why you don’t affiliate with either."
Step 8: This is where you review your answers and submit the application.
