Read this article by Natalie Tomlin, a Freelance Writer based in Grand Rapids.
Caledonia Resident Katie Fahey and her Grassroots, Non-Partisan Ballot Committee Voters Not Politicians (VNP) made headlines.
Last year, the Aquinas College Alumna, along with a Board of Directors and Thousands of Volunteers, gathered more than 425,000 Signatures in less than Four Months to put a Constitutional Amendment on the Ballot this November.
VNP surpassed the 315,654 Signatures Required and Submitted them to the State in December 2017. The Group hopes that Michigan Voters will have the chance to decide to Completely Restructure the Redistricting Process in the State and end Gerrymandering.
Fahey sensed that Voters had lost Faith in the Political System, and she instinctively went back to her Knowledge of Gerrymandering from High School. As she researched further, she began to understand why Citizens felt so Disconnected. “Right now, we have politicians carving our state out like a turkey,” she says.
Federal Law has Three Rules in place to Control how Voting Maps are Drawn:
1. They must be Drawn every 10 years when New Census Data is Available.
2. Districts must be Drawn to Reflect Equal Population.
3. Districts must adhere to the Voting Rights Act that Protects from Racial Discrimination in Voting.
Beyond these Three Rules, the Drawing of Lines is up to States.
Michigan is one of 37 States to give All Power to Redistrict to State Legislature and uses a Simple Majority Vote in Each Legislature Chamber to Finalize Maps.
After watching 3,500 Volunteers collect Signatures in All 83 Counties of Michigan, Fahley is most inspired by the many People who took part in a Political Movement for the first time in their lives, including an 87-year old Woman who carried a Petition. “People have learned that they can participate. Regular people can make change, and we’re proof of that.”
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