On Wednesday, September 27th, several VAAC members appeared before the Senate Elections and Ethics Committee to testify on behalf of SB 494. This legislation, sponsored by Senator Sylvia Santana, D-Detroit, seeks to require the state’s redistricting commission to consider the pre-incarceration addresses of incarcerated individuals when drawing congressional and legislative districts. The current system, which counts incarcerated people at their place of incarceration, dilutes the voices of affected communities. Michigan would join a growing list of states, including Colorado, Nevada, Virginia, and others, that have recently passed similar legislation.

October 4, 2023 was set as the date to vote to move the bill out of committee. We will update this article when we get news about the vote.