Michigan uses an independent commission to draw congressional and state legislative districts. It was supposed to stop the “long, meandering districts,” create districts “make sense” and respect communities of interest.

The commission has intentionally carved up counties, including Ottawa County, into multiple Congressional districts, severely diminishing our voice in Washington. Within a few hours, a person can ride their bike from one end of Ottawa county to the other, and have three different representatives.

OTTAWA COUNTY BELONGS TOGETHER!

The same is true for its drafts of state Senate districts. The commission appears to be acting in a way that intentionally separates communities from each other. Meanwhile, they believe the interests of Holland are shared with Kalamazoo, or Grand Haven’s interests are shared with Mackinaw City. It doesn’t make sense!

Ottawa County is the hub of the Lake Michigan economy, which is why it has become the fastest-growing county in Michigan.

In a time when we are asking every Michigan resident to participate, and ensure every vote matters, we, the residents of Ottawa County, ask the Redistricting Commission to further review its proposed Congressional districts recommendation.

We ask the commission to change their map according to following:

• acknowledge Ottawa County as the fastest-growing county in Michigan, and a community of interest
• preserves and respects current geographic boundaries, specifically county lines
• keep Ottawa County’s local economies of Holland, Grand Haven, Jenison/Grandville, and everything in-between intact
• respects the western Michigan Lakeshore culture as a historical community of interest

Keeping Ottawa County whole makes sense, and it ensures that we can be represented fairly and that our voice will be heard in Washington.