Michigan residents will have the opportunity to weigh in on what the application to become a member of the state’s new independent redistricting commission should look like, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced Thursday.

The 13-member independent redistricting commission created following the passage of Proposal 2 in 2018 will be tasked with drawing Michigan’s political maps after the 2020 census. The commission must be made up of four Democrats, four Republicans and five independents.

Prospective members will be able to apply starting this fall - but before the application forms are finalized, people can review the draft language on the Secretary of State’s website and submit any suggestions to Redistricting@Michigan.gov until Aug. 9.

During a Thursday press conference, Benson said the public comment period wasn’t required under the new constitutional language, but said she felt it was important to begin the new redistricting process with as much transparency as possible.

Calling the process a “historic moment” for Michigan, Benson said the department’s goal is to encourage maximum participation and geographic diversity. The department is required to mail out 10,000 random applications under the constitutional language, but Benson said having several hundred thousand applicants isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Proposal 2 was backed by the group Voters Not Politicians. Nancy Wang, the group’s executive director, said in a statement they’ve already identified more than 1,500 people interested in applying, adding they were happy to see the Secretary of State was living up to the spirit of a “transparent, citizen-centered redistricting process.”

So far, Benson said the department has been paying out of pocket for handling the first steps of the redistricting process. Although the constitutional language requires $4.6 million be appropriated to the commission itself, Benson said the department will need about $2 million to fully fund the administrative process of creating the commission and reaching out to citizens.

“It’s one of my deepest frustrations with this, because the success of this process may very well hinge on whether or not the legislature fully funds it at every stage,” she said. “My hope and expectation is that the legislature...will recognize that this is the law now and we all have a stake in its success.”