Issues and Action

League of Women Voters^®
of the Ann Arbor Area

Recent activities of National, State and Local LWV

Ann Arbor League Studys Proposals for Privatization of Government Services. Redistricting For The Next Decade. Studies. Voter Power. Health Care Task Force Paper. A Fair and Impartial Michigan Supreme Court.

Ann Arbor League Studys Proposals for Privatization of Government Services

The purpose of this study is to identify policy issues to be considered in connection with proposals to transfer federal, state or local government services, assets and/or functions to the private sector. It will review the stated goals and the community impact of such transfers, and identify strategies to ensure transparency, accountability, and preservation of the common good.
For further information about the study including background information, go to: http://www.lwv.org/member-resources/privatization

Redistricting For The Next Decade

Redistricting should foster the democratic principle of allowing voters to choose their elected officials rather than be a process in which we allow our elected officials to "choose their constituents." Mary G. Wilson, President, LWVUS
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The REDISTRICTING FORUM, held June 16 at the Ann Arbor Library, was a great success. Click here to see a SLIDE SHOW from the event.
Panelists: Rep. Mark Ouimet, State Representative, 52nd District Rep. Jeff Irwin, State Representative, 53rd District Jacqueline Beaudry, Ann Arbor City Clerk Lawrence Kestenbaum, Washtenaw County Clerk
Sponsored by: The League of Women Voters of the Ann Arbor Area The Ann Arbor District Library The Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor
Following the US Census every ten years, new lines are drawn for congressional and legislative districts, county commissions districts, and city council wards. Come to find out how your city, county and state are making these decisions and how it might affect you.
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Michigan's Legislature will soon begin one of its most significant duties + the process of redrawing Congressional and State legislative districts. Michigan's overall loss of population and shifts within the state over the past decade necessitate a new configuration. Criteria for forming districts, such as population, preserving local political boundaries, and voting rights considerations, are established in law. But the workings of redistricting are complex and turn on decisions that are inherently political.
The LWVUS promotes four essential principles to assure representative government:
1. An accurate and complete count in Census 2010 is an essential building block for all redistricting efforts;
2. The process used for redistricting must be transparent to the public;
3. The redistricting process, at all levels of government, must provide data, tools and opportunities for the public to have direct public input into specific plans under consideration by the redistricting body;
4. In order to achieve representative democracy, redistricting plans must be drawn in a manner that allows elected bodies to reflect the diversity of the populace, especially racial and ethnic diversity.
In Michigan, the state legislature will draw lines for U.S. Congressional Districts and the State Legislature. In Washtenaw County, an Apportionment Commission, consisting of the County Clerk, the County Treasurer, the Prosecuting Attorney, and the Chairs of the two majors parties, has sixty days to select a districting plan. This commission also determines how many districts there will be. Once the plan is complete, it must then be presented for public comment. The City of Ann Arbor has a similar process. The Ann Arbor Area League is in communication with the clerks of both the City of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County and has offered to host a community forum presenting the new redistricting plans to the public. Stay tuned to our website lwvannarbor.org and your email for information about upcoming redistricting meetings and forums.

National Studies Underway or Planned

EDUCATION STUDY: The LWVUS Board has approved the consensus questions for the Education Study. Supporting research information will be posted on the LWVUS website, followed by posting of the consensus questions, a Leaders Guide and additional short papers. A webinar, "The ABCs of Doing a National Study," is scheduled for April 21st at 3 pm Eastern Time. Register here.
PRIVATIZATION STUDY: The purpose of this study is to identify issues to be considered in connection with proposals to transfer federal, state or local government services, assets and/or functions to the private sector. Resource materials and consensus questions will be available in late fall 2011.

Voter Power Project

MVP is coordinating with local Leagues and partner organizations to raise awareness and work for reforms to make voting convenient and accessible, reduce the influence of money in Michigan Supreme Court elections, and promote an open and participatory redistricting process.
In one project, participating local Leagues will interview local clerks to assess voter registration initiatives at state agencies, such as Human Services and Community Health departments, and practices that facilitate voter registration. Some clerks will also be asked about barriers to implementing early voting in small communities.
MVP is also planning to develop educational materials and sponsor events to bring attention to problems with the redistricting process. Redistricting is often used as an opportunity to gain partisan advantage, secure seats for specific candidates, and split natural communities, thereby reducing their ability to be represented. Michigan's Legislature will begin the next redistricting process in April 2011, following receipt of the 2010 Census data, and must complete the redistricting plan by November 1, 2011. Counties will undertake a similar process.
Local Leagues or individuals that would like to participate in these projects should contact Kris Zawisza, LWVMI Project Director, faircourts@lwvmi.org.

Health Care Task Force Paper

Click here to read two papers from the League's Health Care Education Task Force: "From SCHIP to CHIPRA" by Robin Lane and "A Short History of Major Changes in the U.S. Health Care System since 1994: Costs, Coverage and Quality" by Doris Isolini Nelson

A Fair and Impartial Michigan Supreme Court

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has said "Judicial elections are becoming political prizefights where partisans and special interests seek to install judges who will answer to them instead of the law and the constitution."
On October 29th, five members of the Ann Arbor Area LWV attended a forum on removing the influence of money and politics from Michigan's Supreme Court elections. The forum, held at Schoolcraft College, was sponsored by the LWV of Michigan, along with local leagues from Oakland County, Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Detroit, Grosse Pointe, Northwest Wayne County, and Troy. Among the additional sponsors were the Washtenaw County Bar Association, the AAUW of Michigan and the Michigan Impartial Courts Coalition. Representative Paul Condino, Chair of the Michigan House Judiciary Committee, served as moderator of a panel comprised of Judge Edward Thomas, Wayne County Circuit Court (retired); Brian Dickerson, a columnist for the Detroit Free Press; and Rich Robinson, executive director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network. The three panelists discussed the problem of political interference in Michigan courts. The main problem is that the cost of judicial campaigns is out of control--$23.5 million has been spent on Michigan Supreme Court campaigns since 2000. In order to raise the huge amount of money necessary to run a campaign, candidates look to special interests for donations and the sources of these donations are often hidden from public view. Contributors often expect special treatment when cases involving their particular interests appear before the Court. Public trust and confidence in the courts is at risk as a large majority of Michigan voters believe that the courts are influenced by campaign contributions. To remain fair and impartial, the Michigan Campaign Finance Network makes the following recommendations:

Full and timely disclosure of all contributions to judicial campaigns, including TV issue ads paid for by 527"organizations,
Objective standards for justices to disqualify themselves from cases in which they have a campaign finance relationship
Voluntary public financing for Michigan Supreme Court campaigns

from LWV-AAA Nov-Dec 2008 newsletter

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