Power Lines

Film Synopsis

Redistricting isn’t about lines. Redistricting is about power. Who controls that power? That’s up to you. “Power Lines,” created with the support of The Carter Center, is a non-partisan blueprint for a more perfect democracy. In 2018, Michiganders voted to amend the state constitution, ending a system where redistricting was controlled behind closed doors. The amendment created the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, made up of 13 citizens, which took power away from legislators and made the process fully public. The commission drew the 2022 maps, receiving over 30,000 comments, and produced some of the fairest maps in the country, reflecting the state’s electorate for the first time in a generation. “Power Lines” traces this journey from the amendment’s passage through its challenges in the Michigan Supreme Court.