Detroit’s seven City Council districts will be redrawn in less than a month, creating new political boundaries for the next decade.
The City Planning Commission released six options for new districts based on 2020 U.S. Census population estimates. A special session to discuss the options is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Jan. 16. The council is holding informational meetings to gather resident feedback and plans to finalize the changes on Jan. 30 following a public hearing tentatively scheduled for Jan. 23.
Related: Detroit City Council districts are changing: See proposed maps
Residents have a limited window to weigh in on the proposed maps and contact their council representative to advocate for their preferred choice. Residents can’t change the proposed boundaries created by the Detroit Planning Commission, but their feedback will help the council pick between the options.
Meetings attended by BridgeDetroit during the last few weeks revealed recurring resident questions about how the maps were drawn and what their impact will be on representation. City Planning Commission Director Marcell Todd provided some answers during public meetings.
Will my City Council representative change? When will the new maps take effect?
Redistricting has no effect on the current makeup of the City Council.
Once the new district boundaries are approved, nothing changes until the 2025 election. Current council members represent the same area until their terms expire at the end of next year.
The new maps will be used by candidates running for office in 2025. Todd said the districts will take effect at the beginning of January 2026, when the next council is sworn in.
City Council members serve four-year terms. Voters will cast ballots for all nine seats in 2025.
Click here for an interactive map showing the options under consideration.
Why are City Council districts being redrawn?
It’s required by the City Charter. New district boundaries must be created within 120 days of the primary election, by April 7, 2025.
The charter requires that candidates for elected offices have resided for at least one year in the district they are running for. Candidates for the 2025 election must live in their district as of Nov. 4. Todd said that’s partly why the planning commission is urging the City Council to approve the maps as soon as possible.
The City Charter also requires candidates to have a principal residence in Detroit for at least one year before filing to run for office. Candidates must file to run by April 22, 2025, so they must move to Detroit by April 22.
How do I get involved in the redistricting process?
Residents have a limited opportunity to weigh-in on the maps that will shape Detroit’s political future for the next decade.
The planning commission is collecting public comments through this online form. Residents can also contact their City Council representative directly.
Council President Pro Tem James Tate, District 1: councilmembertate@detroitmi.gov
Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway, District 2: councilmemberCalloway@detroitmi.gov
Council Member Scott Benson, District 3: BensonS@detroitmi.gov
Council Member Latisha Johnson, District 4: councilmemberjohnson@detroitmi.gov
Council President Mary Sheffield, District 5: councilmembersheffield@detroitmi.gov
Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero, District 6: councilmembergabriela@detroitmi.gov
Council Member Fred Durhal III, District 7: councilmemberdurhal@detroitmi.gov
At-Large Council Member Coleman Young II: coleman.young@detroitmi.gov
At-Large Council Member Mary Waters: councilmemberwaters@detroitmi.gov
Is this affected by a court’s decision to strike down state legislative maps?
Detroit’s redistricting process is separate from a developing situation with political boundaries for state House and Senate seats.
A three-judge panel ordered redrawing 13 metro Detroit legislative districts after finding them unconstitutional. Federal judges found an independent state redistricting commission illegally drew the maps on the basis of race.
Todd said this won’t affect Detroit’s City Council redistricting process.
Why are there City Council districts in the first place?
It wasn’t always this way. Detroit had an at-large system for nearly a century before voters decided to change the City Charter in 2009.
Detroit has had nine council members since 1918. The 2012 charter revision established seven districts each represented by one council member and one at-large “district” represented by the two council members who earned the most votes. Those took effect in 2014.
The previous at-large system was designed to elect council members who represent the interests of the city as a whole. Each resident was a constituent of all nine council members and could approach any or all members with their concerns.
The newer district system seeks to create an equitable distribution of representatives across the city. Each resident has three council representatives. Residents are represented by the council member serving their district, plus both at-large members.
Council Members Coleman Young II and Mary Waters are currently serving as the at-large members. They were the top two vote-earners in 2021.
Detroit implemented a hybrid system in 2012 and the first council members elected under the new setup took office in 2014.
What rules must the city follow for the redistricting process?
The City Charter outlines requirements for the geographic boundaries in just a few paragraphs. The charter requires districts to be as close to the same population as possible. The districts must also be contiguous and compact.
Equal representation is guaranteed as a constitutional right under the 14th Amendment but the population of districts doesn’t have to be exact. The U.S. Constitution allows a difference of up to 10%.
Todd said each district should contain between 86,830 and 95,970 residents. The sweet spot is 91,400 residents per district.
The city uses voting precincts, which have their own boundaries, as “puzzle pieces” to build City Council districts. Each voting precinct contains a certain number of residents, so the planning commission puts precincts together to reach the population total.
Todd said voting precincts won’t be split up, since that would create massive confusion for Detroiters.
The Constitution prevents citizens from being separated into different districts on the basis of race or ethnicity. In other words, race can’t be the primary consideration when drawing districts.
Voter dilution is also banned under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits fragmenting minority voters among several districts or packing them into one district to minimize their political influence. The Supreme Court has ruled that dilution can impair the ability of racial minorities to elect their preferred candidates.
Black residents make up the majority of Detroit’s population, around 77%. Todd said because Black residents are the predominant population, there’s no scenario where Black communities can be disenfranchised by the political boundaries.
Todd said the planning commission is trying to keep together Hispanic communities concentrated in District 6 on the city’s southwest side and an Asian American population, primarily Bangladeshi residents, in District 3 near Hamtramck.
Todd said changes to the existing districts were minimized to the greatest extent possible, but population declines on the city’s east side made it difficult. Some districts needed to grow in size in order to meet population goals.
The city has lost roughly 74,810 residents since 2010, according to the census. Nearly half came from Districts 3 and 4. Both of those districts, plus District 5 are currently under the 86,830 population minimum.
City Council elections aren’t until 2025. Why the rush to adopt new districts?
Part of the reason is to give candidates enough time to make sure they live within their district for at least a year as required by the City Charter.
Todd also said adopting new maps in January will provide time for the city to navigate any potential legal challenges and give the city’s elections department time to implement the new boundaries.
Can residents challenge the maps?
Michigan law allows any registered voter a 30-day window after the filing of the apportionment plan to petition the Third Circuit Court if they believe the council district maps are unconstitutional.
Will my polling location change?
No. Todd said voting precincts established by the City Clerk’s Office will remain the same.
Find your polling location online here.
How does this affect other positions that are based on City Council districts?
City Council members aren’t the only positions affected by redistricting. City Council appointees must also live within the district they represent.
The new maps will also apply to appointed positions on the Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, community advisory councils for each district, and other positions.
The Board of Police Commissioners are made up of representatives from each council district, so the new boundaries will also affect its next election.