Ratf**ked Author Talks Michigan Redistricting Ballot Proposal

“Michigan is one of the most gerrymandered states in the nation…Your districts have less swing than Coldplay,” says David Daley.

David Daley and Salon

Voters will have a chance in November to change the way Michigan draws its congressional and legislative lines.

Proposal Two — the ballot question spearheaded by the grassroots group Voters Not Politicians — would create an independent commission to determine how those lines are drawn.

Detroit Today producer Jake Neher spoke with David Daley, the author of a book about gerrymandering nationwide, titled “Ratf**ked: The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal America’s Democracy.”

“Michigan is one of the most gerrymandered states in the nation,” says Daley, who has endorsed Proposal Two and recently visited Michigan to garner support for the ballot question. “Michigan is a swing state, but there is no swing anywhere in these congressional districts. Your districts have less swing than Coldplay.”

Detroit Today host Stephen Henderson also speaks with Katie Fahey, the president of Voters Not Politicians, about how the group is feeling about its chances after some recent polling shows many voters undecided or ambivalent about Proposal Two.

“I actually am feeling good,” says Fahey. “The great part is the people who don’t want this, it’s a much smaller amount.”

Fahey says the high number of undecided voters on this issue is a reflection of the questions people still have about the redistricting process.

Henderson also speaks with Republican communications strategist Matt Resch of Resch Strategies about his thoughts about Proposal Two. Resch is not a fan of the proposal. You can hear his comments here.

Click on the audio player above to hear the full conversations with Daley and Fahey on Detroit Today.

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