Michigan Secretary of State to settle gerrymandering lawsuit

Michigan secretary of state Jocelyn Benson is looking to settle a federal lawsuit alleging gerrymandering in favor of Republicans.

Gerrymandering is manipulating the boundaries of state political lines in order to achieve desirable electoral results. The League of Women Voters initially filed the lawsuit in 2017, claiming districts created in 2011 favored Republicans.

The case was set to go to trial in February, but has been postponed at the request attorneys representing Republican officials.

Any changes resulting from the case will go into effect only for the 2020 election. Districts would then be redrawn for the election in 2022, exercising Michigan’s ‘Voters, Not Politicians’ proposal approved in November’s election.