Tag Archive for Prop2

In The Beginning

The very first time Michigan experienced 'Gerrymandering'

There was Chaos.

The 1961 Michigan Con-Con created a new way of apportioning districts.

Though it had not done away with geographical consideration that had existed for most of the 20th century to that point, it created the commission under which Four Republicans, and Four Democrats, and Four (if any 3rd party received 25% of the vote) 3rd party commissioners.  And as expected, the first commission was deadlocked.

The apportionment plan went before the Michigan Supreme Court, and the Republican plan was ruled as being as close to the apportionment rules as either plans, and ordered to be in effect.  In the meantime, the US Supreme Court applied a 1962 case (Baker V. Carr) which opined the authority over apportionment matters to Reynolds v. Simms, establishing the ‘one person, one vote’ apportionment standard.

This changed everything.

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