With Us, For Us Redistricting Amendment
Our State. Our Vote. Our Maps.
In 2018, Common Cause MN convened a multipartisan solidarity alliance space called the MN Alliance for Democracy (MA4D) in response to the need for a nonpartisan strategic space where grassroots organizations/groups/activists and allies, regardless of partisan affiliation, could come together to bridge differences among us and ensure all Minnesotans experience democracy equitably.
Common Cause MN is both a C3 and a C4, however, we do not endorse political parties or politicians. We believe it is difficult to hold power accountable if we are doorknocking, fundraising, or phonebanking for politicians or political parties.
When we say every Minnesotan deserves a fair say in the policies that affect our everyday lives, we mean just that – all Minnesotans – but right now, how our voting maps have been drawn for the past six decades has put that right at risk.
In MN, politicians have the power to draw their own electoral maps – a power they could abuse for partisan gain. When politicians can’t agree on fair maps, courts can only make minor changes to what’s on the table, denying all Minnesotans our right to fair representation. We’ve been left with minimum maps for 60 years! Maps that don’t see all Minnesotans.
Since 2018 Common Cause MN has been advocating for a simple solution: drawing our maps through a citizen-led Independent Redistricting Commission. While the With Us, For Us Redistricting Amendment leverages best practices and lessons learned from other states, it has been drafted with direct input from impacted Minnesotans and the broad perspectives of grassroots, members, democracy partners, legislative allies, stakeholders and is centered on Minnesotan’s needs and concern. It is not a “cookie-cutter” approach based on another state with different issues, local dynamics and needs. We are not reverse engineering support.
In 2024, community members participated in a variety of actions to support the passage of the With Us, For Us Redistricting Amendment (HF 4593)
- Sent over 2,260 letters to legislators in support of the With Us, For Us Redistricting Amendment
- Held a press conference led by organizations who serve our impacted communities
- Community partners submitted oral and written testimony in support of the With Us, For Us Redistricting Amendment
Background
The With Us, For Us Redistricting Amendment, HF4593/SF4894, has been 5 years in the making. It is the result of a collective multipartisan grassroots solidarity movement to co-create:
- A more inclusive representative democracy.
- Greater parity in how Minnesotans experience democracy.
We center policies on people and communities; not political parties, politicians, or special interests. We ally with elected officials who share our values.
In this movement all impacted Minnesotans have a direct say in proposed policy solutions. We don’t start with national model bills and reverse engineer support. It is our needs, our ideas and our interests behind the movement supporting the With Us, For Us Redistricting Amendment, HF4593/SF4894.
Not everything labeled “reform” is meaningful reform that serves the interests of people and communities. When it comes to redistricting, power doesn’t give up power easily.
The process used to imagine and build what is possible is as important as what is created. Who is included in defining proposed reform, and who is not, matters in co-creating an inclusive, accountable and healthy multi-racial, multi-generational democracy.
The Bill Components & Approach
Not all Minnesotans experience democracy or representation in the same way. Impacted communities, stakeholders participating in focus groups asked for three key things:
- A solution centering people.
- Moving the needle regardless of whether a proposed constitutional amendment succeeded.
- An approach that came from us, impacted Minnesotans, our stakeholders and allies from across the state – not politicians or political party ideas of what was possible.
The resources needed to successfully move a constitutional amendment is beyond the reach of most community groups/organizations. Minnesota is not a ballot initiative state. Any proposed constitutional amendment is squarely in the hands of politicians. If they don’t want the change, it will not move. To date, no Minnesota state legislative body has created an independent citizen redistricting commission centering us. Power does not give up power easily.
The With Us, For Us Redistricting Amendment is a both/and win-win approach centering people and communities first. Recognizing Minnesotans don’t have the deep pockets political parties and special interest groups do, this bill ensures that if the constitutional amendment fails on the ballot, the citizen-led independent redistricting commission defaults to an advisory commission. Grassroots moves reforms no matter what and can overcome this inherent barrier to moving long overdue reforms.
The With Us, For Us Redistricting Amendment reflects shared thoughts, ideas and recommendations from statewide partners, stakeholders, impact communities, legislators from both sides of the aisle and chambers. NO OTHER PROPOSED BILL WILL HAVE THAT because only we have been working this for 5 years.
Should the constitutional amendment fail on the ballot, community STILL moves through the default to an advisory commission. By defaulting to a citizen-led advisory redistricting commission, we:
- Inject greater transparency, accountability, and public participation into the existing legislative process of drawing our district voting maps.
- Codify in law structure for a model, process, and redistricting principles that are otherwise not in place to protect our interests in the current legislative process.
- Provide the court with guardrails that limit their role to reviewing submitted maps and deciding which aligns best with the redistricting principles established through the creation of the advisory commission.
- Provide the court with maps drawn by the citizen-led advisory redistricting commission that draws maps using a model, process and principles least motivated by party interests.
MODEL
Citizen-led Independent Redistricting Commission: 15 total members; 5 GOP, 5 DFL and 5 not belonging to either.
- LCC oversees the selection process. It also works in consultation with Redistricting Advisory Group consisting of; ethnic councils, both councils working with disabled Minnesotans, MN Youth Council, and LGBTQ Council in some of the process.
- Initially 3 GOP, 3 DFL and 3 not belonging to either are picked through a process LCC oversees to include interviews.
- Those 9 pick 6 more, 2 GOP, 2 DFL, and 2 not belonging to either to account for needed increased diversity and fair representation of Minnesotans.
- OSS oversees the application process.
- LCC overseeing selection/interview process and works in consultation with Redistricting Advisory Group.
- 2 random LCC members of ranking majority/minority party are picked by lot to aide LCC in interview.
They have no deciding vote, only role in helping with interviews. Provides for both/and approach should the constitutional amendment fail on ballot.
PROCESS
Created from the perspective of what is possible and grassroots community needs – not the desire of politicians to control outcomes or define parameters of what we deserve. It:
- Incorporates direct grassroots focus group input on what they need to participate in the redistricting process.
- Maximizes opportunity for transparency, accountability and public participation.
- Sets minimum number of hearings focused on defining communities of interests before draft of maps are drawn.
- Includes provisions for ensuring integrity of Independent Redistricting Commission work, including removal and disclosure of conflict of interest in securing resources/experts/counsel.
- Provides for deadlock scenarios & boycotting of vote to game the process.
RULES
Prioritizing people over party. Maps would:
- Provide for standalone prohibitions in use of data, favoring/disfavoring given party/candidate/incumbent.
- Create legislative districts nearly equal in population and not deviate by more than 5%
- Not be drawn denying voting rights due to race, ethnicity, or language minority and must provide racial minorities and language minorities who constitute less than a voting-age majority of a district with equal opportunity to substantially influence the outcome of an election.
- Reservation lands of Native Nation must be preserved. Discontinuous portions of reservation lands must be included in the same district and must not be divided more than necessary.
- Be required to minimize the division of identifiable communities of interest. A community of interest may include a racial, ethnic, or linguistic group or any group with shared experiences/concerns, including geographic, governmental, regional, social, cultural, historic, socioeconomic, occupational, trade, environmental, or transportation interests. It will not include relationships with political parties, incumbents, or candidates.
- Require that districts must be convenient and contiguous and must minimize the division of counties, cities, and towns.
