Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former actor and California governor, spoke Friday at a rally held in East Lansing to voice his support for Proposal 2 and thegroup Voters Not Politicians. The advocacy coalition endorses the creation of a nonpartisan commission that would redraw district lines.
Proposal 2 will appear on the Nov. 6 Michigan midterm ballot. If the proposal passes, the Secretary of State will oversee the selection of 13 commission members — four Republicans, four Democrats, and five independents or third-party affiliated.
Schwarzenegger said the issue of gerrymandering needs to be fixed, commending the work of Katie Fahey, founder of Voters Not Politicians.
“It’s easy to complain, but then to go up and say, ‘I’m going to do something about it’ — that’s what she did,” Schwarzenegger said. “I’m so proud that all of you are here today.”
California is the only state to have a similar system to the one Proposal 2 would create if passed. As governor, Schwarzenegger backed the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, which was passed in November 2008.
Schwarzenegger has also supported efforts in updating the redistricting process in Missouri, Colorado and Utah.
Actress Jennifer Lawrence has also been an outspoken advocate for Proposal 2. Represent Michigan, the state’s chapter of the national group RepresentUs, released a video with Lawrence endorsing the proposal this week.
While addressing the crowd at the rally, Schwarzenegger encouraged the state to “terminate gerrymandering.”