Support Legislation to End Prison Gerrymandering



Voting Access for All Coalition is asking you to stand with us in support of ending prison gerrymandering in the State of Michigan. Fair maps are at the heart of our democracy—and to move the needle on social justice, we must ensure that all voices carry equal weight.

Will you take action today and help fight for the representational of people who are incarcerated?

Background Why Voting Access For All Coalition (VAAC) Is committed to abolishing Prison Gerrymandering

When creating legislative districts, Michigan currently counts incarcerated people as residents of the places where prisons are located rather than in the communities where they are from and where their families live.

This unfair practice, which strips political power from one community and gives it to another, is called prison gerrymandering.

  • Prison gerrymandering unfairly inflates the population and political power of districts in which prisons are located at the expense of urban areas, in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s “one person, one vote” standard.
  • By counting incarcerated people in prison towns where they have no connections, prison gerrymandering effectively denies incarcerated people meaningful representation, and undermines their reentry into their home communities where they should be counted.
  • Prison gerrymandering has a pronounced racial effect, harming people and communities of color.


What’s the Harm of Prison-Based Gerrymandering?

When people are counted as 'residents' of their prison cells, it results in a population skew that ensures the bodies of mostly Black, Indigenous, people of color in prison are used to bolster the voting strength of the largely white, rural districts where incarceration facilities are located. This process touches the lives of millions by diluting the representation of all communities.

Census data is used to draw state and congressional legislative districts, so the number of people in your district matters. Because redistricting happens only once per decade (the next census is in 2030), this unfair distribution of power continues long after the people who are incarcerated return home.

Because of prison gerrymandering, our communities are not only robbed of fair representation, but also of access to resources that they could benefit from. Proper representation in the legislature ensures fair allocation of funding for things that directly impact the quality of life in a community and supports things like hospitals, fire departments, schools, roads, and resources for job seekers. The resources that are needed are stripped away and communities find themselves in a continual struggle to survive. That’s the destructive impact of prison gerrymandering.


Will you help advocate to change this practice?

While the Census Bureau is best positioned to end prison gerrymandering permanently and on a national scale, state action is needed to address this problem in the meantime— particularly ahead of the next redistricting cycle in 2030.

Voting Access for All Coalition is asking you to stand with us in support of ending prison gerrymandering in the State of Michigan.

We are asking that you send a message to your Representatives and State Senator urging them to support fair maps to ensure that our voices are heard and that everyone has access to resources that improve the quality of life in our communities. This cannot be achieved without bringing an end to Prison Gerrymandering.



NEXT STEPS

  1. Copy the sample comments provided below (or create your own version).
  2. Paste the comment in an email and add your personal information.
  3. To find the contact info for your State Senator and State Representative, use the links below to access the State of Michigan Directory:
    1. Michigan House of Representatives Website: Find Your Representative
    2. Michigan Senate’s Website: Find Your Senator
  4. Use the subject line: We Need Fair Maps, NOW!
  5. Email the comment before Wednesday , May 17: 2023.


SAMPLE LANGUAGE TO ADAPT FOR AN EMAIL, LETTER (OR PHONE CALL):

I am [ Your Name] from [ Your Town or Zip Code] and I write to ask you to support fair maps to ensure that our voices are heard.
Counting the inhabitants of prisons as living at the prisons’ address, rather than their home addresses, is prison gerrymandering. It is time for Michigan to end this unfair and undemocratic practice.

By counting incarcerated people in prison towns where they have no connections, prison gerrymandering effectively denies incarcerated people meaningful representation, and undermines their reentry  into their home communities where they should be counted.  It unfairly inflates the population and political power of districts in which prisons are located at the expense of urban areas, in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s “one person, one vote” standard.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Town or Zip Code]


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