This is the fairest map, and keeps communities of interest that are on the oakland/Macomb border from being split as much as possible.

In addition to the file attached, here is the explicit version in text. Ravi Krishnaswami Democratic Precinct Delegate for 20 in Troy A 37 year resident of Troy The Entire Analysis for Troy is based on the map generated from 10-08-21 v1 CD RAS - Birch Analysis of the congressional map of MICRC’s newly proposed congressional district for Troy based on Economic Communities of interest I reviewed the redrawn congressional district by MICRC from the perspective of Troy MI. The purpose of this document is to provide reasons why I and many others feel that the map is a good one. Kudos to Commission for coming up with the map. I have attended several of the commission’s meetings and was impressed by their hard work and non-partisanship intent. Many others have positive comments in the map. Many of them liked the map of the newly proposed congressional district for Troy. The one comment that many of them had was that Oakland Township that is way north of Rochester and Rochester Hills need not be a part of the newly proposed MICRS Congressional Map for Troy. I am also in support of this and recommend that Oakland Township be a part of another congressional district. ( I think that the latest map may have removed Oakland Township already) Currently, parts of Sterling Heights (Macomb County) is part of the newly proposed MICRS Congressional Map. Many questioned why that was so when the rest of it (the newly proposed map) has only Oakland County towns. I believe that the reason is that Sterling Heights from Big Beaver (16 mile) to 18.5 mile has a number of large manufacturing facilities of suppliers and OEMs, on the East side of Mound Road, and on Vandyke road. These manufacturing facilities use mass production techniques. The production techniques use technologies developed by Entrepreneurs from the rest of Macomb County or Oakland County (mainly on Stevenson Highway from Big Beaver to 14 mile in Troy ) or from General Motors technical center in Warren to the south. In this context we need to also understand that there are several folks that live in residential areas in one town and work in the companies or industries that are in other areas. For example Rochester Hills is considered to be a ‘bedroom community’ i.e. not too many companies there. Therefore they have to commute longer distances to work. In such communities there are only Restaurants, grocery stores and other mom and shop retail stores. The skill sets needed for the development and scaling them for production are broadly: Hardware, Software, Communications technology, manufacturing technologies, scaling for mass production, business and legal. These skill sets are distributed between the towns in the newly proposed MICRS Congressional Map for Troy and in the rest of Macomb County. For example, Macomb County has the manufacturing, and related Software skills. Troy has a number of Law, Business, Software development and services firms and skills. Royal Oak is a place that has concentration of young professionals of various disciplines (Lawyers, engineers, doctors, Physician Assistants etc.). After living in Royal Oak for their younger years they can move to other towns of their choice like Troy, Rochester, Rochester Hills etc. that have good school districts and job opportunities for their career development. Being a part of the newly proposed MICRS Congressional Map for Troy will give them the opportunity to seek mentorship with other folks in other towns and experience the towns themselves. It is good to note that Oak Park is part of newly proposed MICRS Congressional Map for Troy. It has the highest ratio of Whites to Blacks. It is 56% of Blacks and 37% of Whites. For comparison Michigan is 74% white and 13% Black, and Detroit is 77% Black. Oak Park is a good palace to understand how a large percentage of Blacks and whites make it possible to live harmoniously. The skill sets needed for the future can be developed in Community Colleges. That way the entire population can get an education that is not expensive and mingle with each other and understand each other. In this context the newly proposed MICRS Congressional Map for Troy has several community colleges. Added as of 11/01 A substantial portion of Macomb County should not be included. Only at best 10 Sq. Miles of Sterling Heights on the East side of Mound Road, and on to East and West of Vandyke road

Definitely a good solution for this area. Still very concerned about the VRA requirements in Detroit though.

This map keeps areas of West Oakland, like Milford and Commerce connected with Oakland County along I-96 and 696 and not into the Thumb.

Beverly Hills, Bloomfield, and Birmingham make sense to be connected together.

Keeping the Troy and Rochester areas together with Bloomfield, Farmington Hills and Novi keeps Asian American Communities of interest together.

**We appreciate areas like Troy being connected with the Rochester Area, Royal Oak, Clawson, and other neighboring communities

On the whole, the diverse communities of interest throughout Oakland County need to have better representation in Washington.

This map is moving in the right direction. Thank you for recognizing that the metro Detroit area has layers of Communities of Interest and that partisan fairness must be taken into account.

Birch map is moving in the right direction. Thanks for recognizing that metro Detroit has layered Communities of Interest. Partisan fairness must be taken into account so the state's overall Democratic lean is reflected in the balance of districts.

This map keeps areas of west Oakland county, like Milford and Commerce, connected to Oakland County, and along I-696, not into the thumb.

This map is the best of the congressional maps for Oakland county. It keeps areas of West Oakland, like Milford and Commerce connected with Oakland County along I-96 and 696 and not into the Thumb. Beverly Hills, Bloomfield, and Birmingham make sense to be connected together.

This map is moving in the right direction. Thank you for recognizing that partisan fairness and communities of interest are important in Oakland County and Wayne county.

Beverly Hills, Bloomfield and Birmingham make sense to be together.

I appreciate this map and they way the communities are connected - Rochester area, Royal Oak and other neighboring communities.

District 8 looks like it was drawn by the sitting Congressman Tim Walberg. Its totally safe and will subject the district to more of the same representation we have now which ignores 1/2 his constituents. I worry the current Congressman who will feel embolden to do whatever he wants without any voter controls.

Thanks

Beverly Hills, Bloomfield, and Birmingham make sense to be connected together.

I am in agreement with this map as it keep the City of Midland where it belongs, with its Great Lakes Bay neighbors of Bay City ,Saginaw and Flint. Hurray for a un-gerrymandered map for the voters of this region!

My earlier dislike is over the partisan fairness changes taking away a competitive seat in District 6. I do think my own 5th district was drawn well.

Beverly Hills, Bloomfield, and Birmingham should be connected together. This is the most fair of the maps.

As a Ypsilanti Resident this is my favorite map so far.

This is the best option. Thanks!

Hats off to those who put in the work for our districts to be drawn around community interests. This map looks fair to both parties and should strengthen our democracy.

This looks like a very good map.

District 7 map looks good since it combines some of the downriver areas together, although It could lean more Democratic since the state leans Democratic. Thanks for the hard work.

This Congressional map is the best so far. It keeps Troy/Rochester together with similar communities to our south in Oakland County.

This is moving in the right direction, it's a good district for us, but still favors Republicans. We want a competitive election, with no one party favored over the other. It could still be better!

Like it best of all presented, getting better towards competitive districts

This map is moving in the right direction. Thank you for understanding that metro Detroit has many communities of interest and that partisan fairness must be taken into account.

I like this map because it includes Troy and Rochester with Clawson, Royal Oak, and Berkley. These areas have a lot of common interest economically and demographically

While not perfect, this map is more or less acceptable; it combines reasonable communities of interest.

I think this version of District 7 is probably the best of all the proposed maps and includes most of the Downriver communities which should be grouped together. Thank you to the Commissioners and staff for their hard work with a difficult task.

I like this because it seems the fairest for our community

looks like the best map for my area.

This map is the most reasonable for all.

This looks like the best choice for downriver!

I chose this map because it appears to represent the downriver area best.

I appreciate the commission consistently placing the trust-cities (Midland, Bay city, Saginaw) and Flint in a congressional district as they are urban areas with industrial economies and should have appropriate representation. Please continue to weigh partisan fairness and correct the republican lean most maps have. We need maps as close to zero political bias as possible.

This map seems to be the most fairly drawn one I have seen.

I ESPECIALLY LIKE THAT THE MAP INCLUDES OUR NEIGHBORING CITIES THAT HAVE SO MUCH IN COMMON WITH gROSSE iLE wE H AVE ALWAYS WORKED TOGETHER AND THAT IS AN IMPORTANT ASSET TO OUR SUCCESS.

I appreciate the hard work which has gone into these lines. All I ask is that the districts be as fair as possible to voters of BOTH parties.

This seems to be pretty fair. Still need to work at where the sections that still clearly favor one party, especially Republicans in this Democratic leaning state. demoratric leaning state.

District 7 as shown seems to be a fair representation of contiguous communities and the total population is similar to other proposed districts. Please spend more time on proposed district 4 to address issues surrounding Grand Rapids.

I feel this is the most fair of the maps overall not favoring any party over another.

I can only speak as to what looks good for my area, district 7 on this new map and I think it looks fair and will meet all the requirements. Thank you for working hard.

8th District should stay as chosen.

This looks like the most fair of the Congressional maps that I've seen including for my home town of Grosse Ile in District 7.

I have looked at several maps and I believe that is map is the fairest

green pin please

This is a much more sensible district than the current 7th District. It doesn't run all the way from the west side of Lansing all the way to Lake Erie for starters! It also looks like a much more fair district that isn't gerrymandered to make sure one party will always win it. Competitive districts make for a better democracy.

I like the Map!

This maps keeps western Oakland County connected with Oakland County along I-96 and I-696, and not into the Thumb, thus preserving a community of interest.

This map links Beverly Hills, Bloomfield, Bloomfield Twp, and Birmingham together. Thanks!

It's good to connect Troy, Rochester Hills, Rochester, Clawson, Royal Oak and neighboring communities.

This map best represents our communities of interest in Calhoun County.

I appreciate the commission consistently placing the Tri-Cities (Midland, Bay City, Saginaw) and Flint in a congressional district as they are urban/suburban areas and should have appropriate representation. I would like to see more of Midland County in this district like Commissioner Eid’s map #237. Please continue to weigh partisan fairness and correct the Republican lean most maps have. We need maps with as close to zero political bias as possible. Thank you for your efforts!

Please consider the need for majority minority communities when you are analyzing maps. It is important to increase, not decrease minority voting strength for stronger representation in government. Asking for you to not split minority communities.It will make it harder to elect representative candidates. The mission of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 was to insure voting rights for all citizens. Map territories should empower communities to vote for representation for themselves.

Please consider the need for majority-minority communities when you are analyzing maps. It is important to increase, not decrease minority voting strength for stronger representation in government. Asking for you to not split minority communities. It will make it harder to elect representative candidates. The mission of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was to ensure voting rights for all citizens. Map territories should empower communities to vote for representation for themselves.

Please consider majority and minority communities while analyzing the maps because both should be equally represented. The mission of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was to make sure all citizens are equally represented and have a voice in their community.

I like that this map keeps Farmington and Farmington Hills together, as we have many common interests and a common school district. The mission of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 was to insure voting rights for all citizens. Map territories should empower communities to vote for representation for themselves.

Please consider the need for majority minority communities when you are analyzing maps. It is important to increase, not decrease minority voting strength for stronger representation in government. Asking for you to not split minority communities. It will make it harder to elect representative candidates. The mission of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 was to insure voting rights for all citizens. Map territories should empower communities to vote for representation for themselves.

Great ...like the way Farmington and Farmington Hills are back together again ...at last ! Also like voting rights of minorities being better represented in the ever changing demographics of our State! Time to get with the times and not barricade ourselves into the past !! - Thanks!

The mission of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was to ensure voting rights for all citizens. Please continue to consider the need for majority-minority communities when you are analyzing all maps throughout the state. Map territories that will empower communities to vote for representation of themselves. Please do not split the vote of the majority-minority communities. Thank you.

Keeping the Troy and Rochester areas together with Bloomfield, Farmington Hills and Novi keeps our Asian American Communities of interest together.

I would like to thank the commission for recognizing that the City of Midland’s interests and needs are more closely aligned with the Tri-Cities and Flint than with the rural/agricultural counties to the west and North, or even with the rural townships of Midland county itself.

I like this map because it keeps Farmington and Farmington Hills together.

Due to commonality of Farmington and Farmington Hills, I approve of putting these two cities together in this district.

Thank you for keeping at least the towns of Midland/Saginaw/Bay City in the same district. Many people live in one city and work in a different one. As municipalities with a industrial bases, we have many similar interests from public policy. There is more logic to urban versus rural interests when creating a COI. I also urge you to keep districts competitive from a political party perspective if feasible. Thank you for your work.

The economic, social, and political challenges that face rural communities vary greatly from those of urban and even mid-small cities. Add to that, there are now dozens of initiatives all aimed at creating a “Great Lakes Bay” environment. For these reasons, I am grateful to see that the re-districting lines account for Midland-BayCity-Saginaw to be a “clump” while posturing the rural portions of all three counties divided into congressional districts that will be fair and impartial to these areas as well. I am so appreciative for the work of this commission to create fairness in our regional, political systems.

I like this map because Farmington and Farmington hills are TOGETHER. They should be TOGETHER because we share a SCHOOL SYSTEM and Library System and community organizations

Good representation of our population

I think this map is the best one so far

I think this map is the best choice.

This map is better than most. At least it keeps Farmington and Farmington Hills together. This is important since we share a school district, libraries, parks, to name a few.

It's vital to keep our school district Farmington Public Schools in one district! Farmington, Farmington Hills belong together!

I like this map! It keeps Farmington Hills and Farmington together and they have a shared community.

Thank you for including Midland (the city where "don't eat the fish" signs begin) with the down-stream communities which are so impacted by Midland's industry. The Tri Cities need to work together and this map will help make that happen.

I understand the need to include Georgetown and other suburban areas with Grand Rapids and Kent. Honestly, the farm days of most of Ottawa are in the past. What percent of Eastern Ottawa works and shops in the Greater Grand Rapids area? The only reason to keep Ottawa out of Kent is to maintain status quo. I think it is a disservice to representatives to think that they cannot represent a number of interests of its constituents. The state of Montana has one representative. Do what makes the most sense.

This map has the best partisan fairness so far. It does a good job of keeping communities of interest together.

Thank you commision for placing the Tri-Cities together in this congressional district. We share so many business, cultural and environmental interests. If possible I would like to see more of Midland County included in this district like Commisioner Eid's map #237. Please continue to weigh partican fairness. We need maps with as close to zero political bias as possible.

Sikh Americans deserve to have an amplified voice in congress. Please keep the metro Detroit portion the same in the final map, specifically so the Sikh community of interest in Troy, Rochester Hills, and Sterling Heights are together.

Sikh Americans are a community of interest. Please keep Rochester Hills, Sterling Heights and Troy together so both Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) communities of Oakland and Macomb Counties are represented by one congressperson

It is appreciated that the commission consistently is placing the Tri-Cities (Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw) with Flint in a congressional district because they are urban/suburban areas and should have appropriate representation. It would be nice to see more of Midland County in this district like Commissioner Eid's map #237. Please continue to weigh partisan fairness and correct the Republican lean most maps have. We need maps with as close to zero political bias as possible.

thank you for the very difficult work you are doing. i appreciate seeing the cities of Midland, Bay City Saginaw and Flint together in a voting district. please remember the original reason Michiganders passed Prop 2 is to draw maps that are as close to fair as you can get them regarding partisan advantage. More than anything else, most voters want to end the advantage republicans have enjoyed by drawing the district maps. Our state votes roughly 54% Democrat and 47% Republican. I hope to see this reflected in the maps.

Sikh Americans are a community of interest. Please keep Royal Oak, Rochester Hills, Sterling Heights and Troy together so both Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) communities of Oakland and Macomb Counties are represented by one congressperson

Sikh Americans are a community of interest. Please keep Royal oak, Rochester Hills, Sterling Heights and Troy together so both Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) communities of Oakland and Macomb Counties are represented by one congressperson

Sikh Americans deserve to have an amplified voice in congress. Please keep the metro Detroit portion the same in the final map, specifically so the Sikh community of interest in Troy, Rochester Hills, and Sterling Heights are together.

I like this redistricting map. The district is now comprised of my surrounding community, unlike the previous districting.

I appreciate that the commission placed the Great Lakes Bay region (Bay City, Midland, Saginaw) and Flint in the same congressional district; they are urban/suburban areas and form a community of interest. As such, they should have appropriate representation. A large city like Midland is more similar to the other nearby cities than it is to rural areas. Please continue to weigh partisan fairness. We need maps with as close to zero political bias as possible.

I appreciate the commission consistently placing the Tri-Cities (Midland, Bay City, Saginaw) and Flint in a congressional district as they are urban/suburban areas and should have appropriate representation. I would like to see more of Midland County in this district like Commissioner Eid’s map #237. Please continue to weigh partisan fairness and correct the Republican lean most maps have. We need maps with as close to zero political bias as possible.

Agree with the map. Thank you for keeping the Great Lakes Bay Region together.

This map is great! Keeping the city of Midland with Bay city and Saginaw makes more sense then putting it with any other area. The tri cities are similar in many ways and should be kept together.

Sikh Americans are a community of interest. Please keep Rochester Hills, Sterling Heights, and Troy together so both Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) communities of Oakland and Macomb Counties are represented by one congressperson

Sikh Americans deserve to have an amplified voice in congress. Please keep the metro Detroit portion the same in the final map, specifically so the Sikh community of interest in Troy, Rochester Hills, and Sterling Heights are together.

I am from Sikh Community and I like this map because it keeps the communities of Rochester Hills, Sterling Heights, and Troy together and this will keep my Sikh community of interest together.

Sikh Americans are a community of interest. Please keep Rochester Hills, Sterling Heights and Troy together so both Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) communities of Oakland and Macomb Counties are represented by one congressperson

Sikh Americans are a community of interest. Please keep Rochester Hills, Sterling Heights and Troy together so both Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) communities of Oakland and Macomb Counties are represented by one congressperson. Appreciate the work being done by the redistricting commission.

Sikh Americans are a community of interest. Please keep Rochester Hills, Sterling Heights and Troy together so both Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) communities of Oakland and Macomb Counties are represented by one congressperson. Appreciate the work being done by the redistricting commission.

Sikh Americans are a community of interest. Please keep Rochester Hills, Sterling Heights and Troy together so both Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) communities of Oakland and Macomb Counties are represented by one congressperson. Appreciate the work being done by the redistricting commission.

This is the map MOST compliant with partisan fairness so far. Please keep working to make your maps more fair. Pay attention to how many votes are being wasted. We want maps with the least wasted votes possible. Thank you for your work.

I appreciate the commission consistently placing the Tri-Cities (Midland, Bay City, Saginaw) and Flint in a congressional district as they are urban/suburban areas and should have appropriate representation. I would like to see more of Midland County in this district like Commissioner Eid’s map #237. Please continue to weigh partisan fairness and correct the Republican lean most maps have. We need maps with as close to zero political bias as possible.

The map seems to address the aspect of competitive fairness and is an excellent map. I agree with these changes.

I like the Birch map because it gives a chance for the Sikh American community in Macomb and Oakland county to be represented as a unified community.

Sikh Americans deserve to have an amplified voice in congress. Please keep the metro Detroit portion the same in the final map, specifically so the Sikh community of interest in Troy, Rochester Hills, and Sterling Heights are together.

Sikh Americans deserve to have an amplified voice in congress. Please keep the metro Detroit portion the same in the final map, specifically so the Sikh community of interest in Troy, Rochester Hills, and Sterling Heights are together.

I Support the Birch Map for Congressional District 6. All of Sterling Heights and many other parts of Macomb County are encompassed into a Fair and Competitive Congressional District.

I am thankful a commission is making these decisions and NOT politicians! I like this option as I think it meets the goal of non partisanship! Thank You for your work on this!

Like this map for District 6. Keeping urban communities together, as they sometime overpower the voice of farming communities. Would have loved it more if Oakland twp is in District 6... not that many farmers there now... Thanks for all the hardwork by redistricting board.

I like this map as it keeps the Sikh American communities in Oakland and Macomb county together. Our community of interest should have a unified voice in Congress.

I have lived in the Tri-Cities (Midland, Bay City, Saginaw) and Flint my entire life and I feel that our community shares a common interest and our congressional representative would best serve our urban/suburban areas. Please continue to weigh partisan fairness and correct the gerrymandered maps we have been forced to live in. We need maps with as close to zero political bias as possible.

I don't know if it was done intentionally, but I appreciate the way in which #13 encompasses the full Muskegon River watershed. This highlights the importance of protecting the waters while at the same time calling for representation that can serve the diversity of interests that comprise the proposed district.

This map appears to be both reasonable and competitively fair. It's also been drawn in a way that will allow for those elected to take have a good regional perspective, which is essential for the long-term planning and well-being of our communities.

I like this map because it keeps the communities of Rochester Hills, Sterling Heights, and Troy together because this will keep my Sikh community of interest together.

Sikh Americans are a community of interest. Please keep Rochester Hills, Sterling Heights, and Troy together so both Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) communities of Oakland and Macomb Counties are represented by one congress person.

I like this map because it keeps our American Sikh communities in Oak and Macomb counties together. This important to me and my family.

I like this map because it keeps the communities of Rochester Hills, Sterling Heights, and Troy together, because this will keep my Sikh community of interest together

Thank you the redistricting committee for the time and effort spent on this map. Sikh Americans are a community of interest. Please keep Rochester Hills, Sterling Heights and Troy together so both Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) communities of Oakland and Macomb Counties are represented by one congressperson

Thank you to the redistricting Committee for the time and effort spent on this. I prefer this map because Sikh Americans deserve to have an amplified voice in congress. Please keep the metro Detroit portion the same in the final map, specifically so the Sikh community of interest in Troy, Rochester Hills, and Sterling Heights are together.

This seems to be the best map so far for my congressional district.

I like this map because it will keep our Sikh communities in Sterling Heights, Rochester Hills, and Troy together.

Sikh American are a community of interest. Please keep Rochester Hills, Sterling Heights, and Troy together so both Gurudwara (Sikh place of worship) communities of Oakland and Macomb Counties are represented by one member of congress.

I like this map because it keeps the communities of Sterling Heights, Rochester Hills, and Troy together, because this will keep my Sikh community of interest together.

I think the Birch Congressional map will be best for partisan fairness.

This map looks very reasonable and fair to me. Thank you for your hard work on the commission.

I think this is a good map for this congressional district.

: I appreciate the commission consistently placing the Tri-Cities (Midland, Bay City, Saginaw) and Flint in a congressional district as they are urban/suburban areas and should have appropriate representation. I would like to see more of Midland County in this district like Commissioner Eid’s map #237. Please continue to weigh partisan fairness and correct the Republican lean most maps have. We need maps with as close to zero political bias as possible.

It's encouraging to see that a map which reflects the Saginaw-Midland-Bay City Combined Statistical Area in Mid/Central Michigan. It not only supports the business, transportation, environmental and residential infrastructure resources within Saginaw Bay and Saginaw River watershed region but also the economic development synergies collectively embraced the Bay Area, Midland Area and Saginaw County Chambers of Commerce, Bay Future, Midland Tomorrow and Saginaw Future Inc. All three Mid Michigan cities share the same natural fresh water source in Lake Huron, trade schools, private academies, and higher educational campuses. Constituents in Bay City, Midland and Saginaw also benefit from the very same regional talent pool, local workforce resources, international airport, medical and healthcare networks, affordable housing initiative, supply-chain distribution channels, and local, state and federal transportation planning offices.

Sikh Americans are a community of interest. Please keep Rochester Hills, Sterling Heights and Troy together so both Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) communities of Oakland and Macomb Counties are represented by one congressperson

I like this map because it keeps the communities of Rochester Hills, Sterling Heights, and Troy together, because this will keep my Sikh community of interest together.

I like this map because it keeps the communities of Rochester Hills, Sterling Heights, and Troy together, because this will keep my Sikh community of interest together.

Sikh Americans are a community of interest. Please keep Rochester Hills, Sterling Heights and Troy together so both Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) communities of Oakland and Macomb Counties are represented by one congressperson

Sikh Americans deserve to have an amplified voice in congress. Please keep the metro Detroit portion the same in the final map, specifically so the Sikh community of interest in Troy, Rochester Hills, and Sterling Heights are together.

First, I appreciate the difficult work that has been done by the Redistricting Committee. I believe this map, which includes communities that have common interests and issues, is an excellent map and will allow the citizens of the new 6th District to have a competitive congressional race and an officeholder that will reflect the District's concerns and political preferences.

I appreciate the commission consistently placing the Tri-Cities (Midland, Bay City, Saginaw) and Flint in a congressional district as they are urban/suburban areas and should have appropriate representation. I would like to see more of Midland County in this district like Commissioner Eid’s map #237. Please continue to weigh partisan fairness and correct the Republican lean most maps have. We need maps with as close to zero political bias as possible.

I like the portion of this map that includes Livingston County with Ingham County. Our two counties are connected in many ways. Many people commute to Lansing to work or go to school or have done so in the past. But I think overall, you have more work to do with this map. It still is not a fair map. It continues too much of the Republican gerrymander that we have had in the past. The commission was set up to fix that. You have put in a lot of hours and hard work. Please finish the job and make the map reflect the political makeup of the state. Michigan leans Democratic as a state and the maps should do the same.

Sikh Americans deserve to have an amplified voice in congress. Please keep the metro Detroit portion the same in the final map, specifically so the Sikh community of interest in Troy, Rochester Hills, and Sterling Heights are together.

I appreciate the commission consistently placing the Tri-Cities (Midland, Bay City, Saginaw) and Flint in a congressional district as they are urban/suburban areas and share many commonalities and deserve appropriate representation. Please continue to weigh partisan fairness and correct the Republican lean most maps have.

This map seems to be the best for keeping the Sikh American communities in Rochester, Rochester Hills, Troy and Sterling Heights all together. It also seems pretty fair overall for our area.

I like this map because it keeps our American Sikh communities in Oakland and Macomb counties together. This is important because we have a place of worship in each county and there is a lot of crossover between the two. It is important to me to have a representative that understands our needs and hears our voice.

This is a really good map which features a logical district and permits partisan fairness.

As a current public office holder who will not be a candidate for elected office in the future, I believe this is a good and fair map because it creates cohesive communities with partisan fairness. This mapping process is hard work and the Redistricting Commission should be commended for their efforts.

This map appears to best meet the goal of competitive fairness.

In local government, the mantra has been: 'think locally, act regionally.' I see the 'Birch' Congressional map as a representation of this concept. It achieves partisan fairness and serves as an impetus for Congressional leaders to advance policy that serves multiple communities, counties and those bigger policy initiatives that uplift the region as a whole. Thank you to the commission for this difficult work.

This map is good. It looks fair and will provide competitive districts.

I recommend the BIRCH proposed map be adopted. The Lansing area residents will get fair representation in the legislature, and this will help create a fair statewide representation. The most legislative seats should go to the party with the most votes, and BIRCH will help accomplish this.

I like this Congressional map. Good on COI and partisan fairness.

This is the fairest map we've seen in years. Thank you for your hard work in creating. this map.

The latest Birch map is more balanced for partisanship and does a better job with community of interests.

Yes - Farmington and Farmington Hills are together as we are one community.

This map is much closer to what Michiganders expects from the Redistricting Commission. Partisan fairness is much improved, it preserves communities of interest, and satisfies the Voting Rights Act. Thanks for your ongoing efforts toward creating fair maps to un-gerrymander Michigan.

Gratiot County and Isabella Counties share an RESD. Thanks for not splitting them across 2 different Congressional Districts.

This map looks fair to all sides

It is extremely important for a representative democracy to limit partisan advantage in drawing district maps and this map does the best job of doing so. This map allows similar communities to vote in their best interest without providing an advantage to any one political party.

This map is good, do this one, thanks.

This is the most logical map I've seen so far in regards to partisan fairness. I support this map as the final map.

BIRCH is a good congressional map, fairly drawn with no partisan leaning. It is logical to keep these suburbs together, like Farmington and Farmington Hills, as these communities of interest already share so much. Thank you for working so hard to get these maps right and for making partisan fairness an expected outcome for all Michiganders.

I support the District 3 map. Beverly Hills, Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills work well together.

Like map

Out of all the proposed maps, this proposal seems to be the most logical when if comes to keeping communities that share cultural and economic ties together in representation.

This is the best map I've seen in terms of keeping communities of interest together, especially Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills, which are very similar. I support this going forward as the final map for District 3.

This map is far from ideal but moves in the right direction toward greater partisan fairness.

I like that Farmington and Farmington Hills are kept together. We are definitely one community. I also like that W.Bloomfield is kept intact. This comes the closest to partisan fairness. Thanks so much for all your hard work!!!

None of the maps reflect my COI, but at least this one does the best from a fairness perspective. Living in North Warren, my COI is really better represented by Ferndale, Royal Oak, Clawson, Madison Heights, Troy (south), Sterling Heights (south), north Warren and Fraser. Probably 80% of my every day life is in those areas. It'd like to see this map adjusted to have Warren & Madison Heights north of 696 added to District 6. Moving the area north of 696 out of a Detroit district is probably better for Detroit, to ensure that Detroiters better representation / more likely to provide VRA minority representative opportunity. I realize it may not be possible to accommodate every COI. If my COI isn't reflected in the maps, the best way for me to get fair representation is partisan fairness.

I like this map the best! I think these Macomb County Communities pair very logically with the Oakland County communities. We are mostly small metro-cities with similar needs in terms of federal considerations. This allows the person who represent District 6 to focus on regional solutions to many problems.

This is one of the best maps I've seen coming out of the Commission. I've told the commission repeatedly that fairness and Voting Rights Act compliance are the two most important aspects of its work. According to FiveThirtyEight.com, this map produces as even a split between Republican and Democratic districts as can be done with an odd number of districts. Several of the districts are solidly Republican, others are solidly Democratic, and others are competitive. Two of the districts result in "minority-majority" populations, which gives the map VRA compliance. *This* is what the voters asked for in the 2018 initiative that created the Redistricting Commission.

Keeping Oak Park & Ferndale together, as well as Huntington Woods and Oak Park is logical since they share school districts & have shared religious communities.

I like that Birmingham and Bloomfield are together.

This is the best congressional map! I like that Birmingham and the Bloomfield communities are kept together as they are common communities.

I like this map. It looks like a good effort to keep communities of interest together and good effort at non-partisan fairness.

This is the best and most fair collaborative map of Oakland and Macomb county, and keeps similar suburbs together. Please move this map forward to deliberations.

The big problem with these maps is the attempt to keep the populations extremely equal! +/- 5% might be a more realistic target to get realistic maps that keep counties intact.

This map is moving in the right direction in terms of partisan fairness - please keep it going.

I like that this map is keeping the Tri-cities together. In our community I have seen concerns about Midland needing to be grouped differently to address flooding. Michigan has a flooding issue. Not just Midland. The state needs to address the infrastructure concerns relating to this for the whole state. Midland being included in the tri-cities does not mean its flooding issues won't be addressed.

Good progress on the metro Detroit area.

Thank you for this map. The City of Midland should be included in a Congressional district along with Bay City, Saginaw, and Flint. These cities are the core of Mid-Michigan and a community of interest. The City of Midland needs be included in an area that makes economic and geographic sense! I have seen a lot of comments stating Midland is rural? The City of Midland is NOT rural. Also, most importantly, please continue to look at partisan bias when tweaking maps.

Like that so many municipalities in Central Oakland County are kept together. Farm. and Farm. Hls. share a school district, library system, and many community events. This will make representation for us much better than if we were split up by Farm. and Farm. Hills or even splitting the City of Farm. Hills in two as some maps have proposed.

Linking Midland, Bay City, Saginaw and Flint together makes so much sense. If we are to grow as a region, we need to combine our economic and social interests. Thank you for this map.

This map is a positive step for the Tri-Cities and Flint. District 11 unites common business, educational, medical, and cultural interests together in one district so that those interests can be more strongly represented in Congress. I also like the idea of including more of Midland County in this district instead of Tuscola. I know this is an enormous task, and I certainly thank you for your efforts to satisfy all the criteria, including partisan fairness. I think this district will thrive as a result.

This is my favorite Oakland-Macomb layout. It eliminates that need to put western Oakland communities with the thumb, and preserves communities of interest in Southeast Oakland and Central Macomb. I don't love the carve out of Warren, but I'm OK with it given that it was specifically requested by the Yemeni and Bengali communities.

For a long list of reasons, thank you for putting Midland with the Tri-Cities and Flint in a congressional district. As others have suggested you might consider moving Tuscola to the Thumb; taking less from Oakland and Macomb for the Thumb and replacing this population with more of Midland County in District #11. Thank you for all your diligence to make the fairest maps possible.

Great map for the district to help common businesses in the area. Putting Tri-cities with Flint is great for business to work together for the regional resources. Thanks for working to balance the districts in a fair way that also benefits the people.

This map looks great! Love seeing Midland, Saginaw, Bay City and Flint all together which reflects our shared values and resources.

The MICRC as the City of Midland right. Having read previous comments, I say again that Midland is a small CITY not a small town like other towns in the county. Midland has a a big medical center, big manufacturing facility, big corporate headquarters, performing arts facility, sports facilities, many hotels, apartment complexes, a (dying) mall, and a mixture of blue collar and professional residents. Those characteristics are found in Bay City or Saginaw but nowhere else in Midland or Gladwin County. Those who think the watershed should determine districting need to remember that Saginaw and Bay City are also downstream of the Tittabawassee. They had less flood damage but share the dioxin cleanup, so if they want the water shed to determine the district the district would follow the rivers and end up still with the City of Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw in the same district. This map does not combine the farming areas of Midland County with Bay City and Saginaw. They are districted correctly with other surrounding agricultural areas, so comments about not considering farms in Midland County are baffling.

The district 10 on this map is preferable to the others. Rather than hook around rural northern Oakland and Macomb county, it descends fairly equally. A jagged district border is preferable to the "crab claw" in the other maps.

Midland, Bay City, Saginaw and Flint are all home to major Fortune 500 companies. We are industrial leaders in MidMichigan and should be kept together in a Congressional map so that we are represented by someone who has urban interests.

This is a great Congressional map because it keeps Midland, Bay City, Saginaw and Flint all together which are the urban areas of MidMichigan. Our schools all play each other in sports and we spend lots of time in all these communities trading goods and services

This map will be good because it honors the county boundaries for the sparsely populated, rural counties in this US House District.

It's about time for a Lansing-based district that keeps Eaton, Ingham and Clinton counties together. For far too long, the Capital Region has been split up, watering down the voices of Greater Lansing residents to accomplish one of the state's most blatant partisan gerrymanders.

Thank you for keeping the city of Midland with the Tri-Cities and Flint for a congressional district. I would suggest placing Tuscola County with the Thumb as it more closely aligns with those counties. I lived in Huron County for 11 years and I know that with schools, agriculture and rural areas it was more like the Thumb. That would allow you to place more of Midland County in the district with the city of Midland, especially those areas around the city like Larkin, Mills, and Homer that more closely align with the city. It is clear that many commenters do not understand the intricate work it takes to adhere to all of the criteria required of these maps, so let me just say that I appreciate all the hard work you are doing. You have tried maps taking into consideration the differing requirements from compactness to COI's to partisan fairness. Please make these maps as close to zero political bias as possible, even if it means splitting up COI's or counties. The people of Michigan voted for this independent commission because we were tired of the gerrymandered maps that placed most of the power in a voting minority of the population. These maps can rectify that wrong, giving all the voters of Michigan a better legislature that will represent everyone's needs, not just a radical few. How the map looks is less important than how it functions.

I like this map