VAAC Executive Director Angela Davenport calls for fair representation in Michigan

Prison gerrymandering distorts democracy. It occurs when incarcerated people are counted as residents of the prisons where they are held rather than their home communities during redistricting. The result is an artificial imbalance: rural districts where prisons are located gain political power and resources, while the urban and diverse communities where incarcerated people actually live and return lose representation.

As VAAC Executive Director Angela Davenport explains, this practice assigns the “voice” of tens of thousands of people who cannot vote to districts that do not reflect their lives or needs. A Prison Policy Initiative analysis found that one-third of Michigan’s 55,000 incarcerated people were concentrated into just three House districts during the last redistricting cycle.

This isn’t just unfair—it undermines equal representation and denies communities vital resources. Schools, housing, and services in prison towns benefit, while neighborhoods across Michigan are left behind.

That’s why VAAC supports Senate Bill 33 of 2023, which would count incarcerated people at their pre-incarceration addresses for state and congressional redistricting. Over 18 other states have already reformed their practices, and Michigan should join them.

Representation should reflect actual communities, not be inflated by prison walls. It’s time to end prison gerrymandering in Michigan.