opinion

I voted for gerrymandered political districts and I regret it

I’ve seen partisan redistricting – gerrymandering – up close. In fact, I’m sorry to say that I’ve voted for it. That’s why I’m proud to be working to end this secretive, manipulative process as a board member of Voters Not Politicians, the nonpartisan, volunteer-driven campaign to end gerrymandering in Michigan.



I’m not alone as a former Republican legislator to speak out against a process some of us were involved with – although in our defense, the process has become more and more warped in the years since we left office. Recently, respected leaders like former Rep. Mickey Knight, former state Rep. Pan Godchaux and former Rep. Bill Bobier, all of whom served as Republicans, have endorsed the Voters Not Politicians proposal.

We are taking a leadership stand on this measure because it is an important reform to our democratic process. We know today our roads are broken, our education system is failing and water hasn't been safe to drink in communities from Rockford to Mio, Grayling to Flint. And partisan redistricting is part of the reason why.

Partisan redistricting has pushed out the kinds of politicians Michigan used to have, members on both sides of the aisle who could see a problem and work together to compromise and devise a solution.



Our current redistricting system says that the political party in power gets to draw the lines for a decade – that politicians get to choose their voters. In 2011, that was the Republican Party in Michigan. Politicians, aided by lobbyists, crafted maps behind closed doors then jammed them through the Legislature. The maps received no public hearings. They were intended for one purpose: To maximize Republican control

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And after the 2020 Census, if the blue wave we see around the nation hits Michigan, Democrats will have the chance to do the same. And that will be just as wrong. It will continue the distrust in our government and the pattern that has led to candidates from the extreme right and left winning in gerrymandered districts.

That’s why we have seen many leading Republicans, like Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, stand up for nonpartisan redistricting systems to replace the old-fashioned “winner take all” system driven by politicians.



The Voters Not Politicians proposal would create an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission and bans lobbyists and partisan politicians – and their immediate family members – from serving on it. The commission must meet in public, before and after developing maps for Congress, the state House of Representatives and the state Senate, to hear from citizens across the state and help guide the mapping process to better represent communities with shared interests. They must follow strict criteria like the federal Voters Rights Act and keep cities, townships and counties as whole as possible.



It will take compromise for a map to be put in place. The commission will be made of four members who identify as Republicans, four who are Democrats and five who are not a member of any party. For a map to be approved, it will need at least two votes from each of the three groups.



This isn’t a solution to all of our problems in Michigan. But it’s an important step forward. It clearly is superior to our current system, one that I’m sorry to say I accepted in the past. It’s time to make sure voters choose their politicians – not the other way around.

John J.H. “Joe” Schwarz, M.D. is a former U.S. Representative and a board member of Voters Not Politicians.