LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission could not gather a quorum of its now 10 members at a special meeting held Thursday afternoon and could take no action.

What happened during the meeting?

The group moved to a closed session with 11 members present to address a federal ruling from last week that would require the group to redraw districts affecting 13 House and Senate seats. However, after the closed session, only eight members were still present making a vote impossible per state constitution rules. 

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According to commission members, Commissioners Rhonda Lange and Erin Wagner had emergencies that required them to leave. Commissioner Rebecca Szetela had to finish end-of-quarter work as an attorney. 

Despite multiple attempts to bring back the three commissioners, who had also all opposed an appeal, Commissioner Anthony Eid asked if there was a way to compel the commissioners to return. 

The commission which recently lost its third member within two weeks. Without an appeal, it would be required to appear in court as soon as Friday with the possibility of having a special master assigned to them. 

Calls for more resignations.

On Friday afternoon, State Representative Ann Bollin (R-Brighton) called for Commissioner Eid to resign after the Detroit News reported allegations by a fellow commissioner that he may have coordinated with Democrat state representative candidates while holding an independent status on the commission. 

“Anthony Eid holds an ‘independent’ position on redistricting commission, yet he has been implicated in several activities that seriously call into question his nonpartisan status,” said State Rep. Bollin. “Our citizens were promised a fair and nonpartisan redistricting process, and his actions and affiliations clearly undermine that promise. Anthony Eid’s partisan ties blatantly defy the spirit of an independent commission, betraying the trust of Michigan voters. It’s time for him to resign.”

Though the commission did not successfully vote on the appeal, it did hold a section of farewell remarks for the three commissioners who have recently resigned from the commission. 

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“I hope that your replacements are half the men you three are,” Anthony Ed said on the livestream. 

Douglas Clark, who recently resigned from the commission because of health reasons, said he had enjoyed working with everyone on the call and would miss them all. 

The maps need to be redrawn.

Ahead of the Christmas holiday, federal judges Raymond Kethledge, Paul Maloney, and Janet Neff determined that the recently redrawn maps violated the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. They said it relied on incomplete data to set Black voting age percentages in the districts. 

“We enjoin the Secretary of State from holding further elections in these districts as they are currently drawn,” the opinion said. “And we will direct that the parties appear before this court in early January to discuss how to proceed with redrawing them.”

The group charged with redrawing the district boundaries for the various Michigan state and national offices lost another Republican, Douglas Clark, and Democrat, MC Rothhorn, who resigned Tuesday from the Commission. It was revealed that Clark, and former Democrat member Dustin Witjes were living out of state while still serving and receiving stipends for their presence on the commission. 

A congressional candidate calls for Jocelyn Benson’s resignation.

The Congressional Candidate for Michigan’s 8th District, Paul Junge, said Thursday that Secretary of State Benson failed in her role. 

“Secretary Benson should resign because she dramatically failed the people of Michigan and African American voters more specifically,” Junge said.

What’s next?

On Wednesday Jan. 3 in the afternoon the Department of State will host a live streamed drawing of the three new members according to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office. 

“New commissioners will be randomly selected from the remaining pool of semi-finalist applicants who affiliate with the same party as the departing commissioner,” Sec. Benson’s office said. “Of the 200 semi-finalists randomly selected in June 2020, there are 52 remaining who affiliate with the Democratic Party and 54 who affiliate with the Republican Party.”