Lansing, MI – Michigan’s top election official and its redistricting panel asked the state Supreme Court on Wednesday for more time to adopt new congressional and legislative maps, pointing to delayed census data.
The lawsuit seeks a January 25th deadline — nearly three months later than the November 1st date set in the state constitution. Due to setbacks from the pandemic, the U.S. Census Bureau is not expected to release redistricting data until mid- to late August and it might not be available in an easy-to-use format until September 30th.
If the final data is available before that date, the 13-member panel… chaired by Lenawee County resident Sue Hammersmith… will expedite the process and try to approve maps before January 25th.
Voters in 2018 passed an anti-gerrymandering ballot initiative that created the commission, which will draw districts once a decade instead of the Legislature.
Tune into our local and state newscasts, anytime day or night, for this story and more.
#wlenradio #wlennews #lenaweenews