In 2018 Michigan made history with its 61% vote for an Independent Redistricting Commission to end the gerrymandering that caused legislative district boundaries to serve partisan interests. But much remains to be done. The speaker will review the problem of gerrymandering and the amendment in Proposition 2 designed to stop it. He will also discuss the implementation of the provisions in Proposition 2, including the impact of recent lawsuits challenging them, how the new citizen redistricting commission will operate and why every OLLI member should apply to be in the pool of citizens from which its membership will be drawn.

Kevin Deegan-Krause is Associate Professor of Political Science at Wayne State University in Detroit. His research focuses on political parties, and he is currently completing a book on new political parties in Europe. His community engagement focuses on local governance, and he has served on Ferndale’s library and school boards. His professional and civic interests intersect in his active volunteering for Voters Not Politicians which in 2018 ensured the passage of Proposition 2 against gerrymandering.

This is the fifth in a six-lecture series. The subject is Voting in America: Perennial Issues, Current Developments. The next lecture will be December 12, 2019. The title is: Race, the Party System, and Elite Incentives in American Elections