Hoosiers protest mid-cycle redistricting as cheating while at the Indiana Statehouse on Friday, Oct. 10. Many hold that Indiana’s current 7-2 split in the U.S. House already constitutes gerrymandering. Photo by Leslie Bonilla Muñiz, Indiana Capital Chronicle.

By Niki Kelly
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Conservation Voters has added $100,000 to a statewide media campaign urging Hoosiers to tell their lawmakers to reject a mid-decade congressional redistricting push.

The added money will ensure the television ads are seen during this weekend’s Colts, IU and Notre Dame games, according to a news release.

“Hoosiers aren’t asking for this. Washington outsiders just won’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” ICV Executive Director Megan Robertson said. “They want us to cheat, and we’re not cheaters. Indiana lawmakers should be commended for resisting the pressure campaign. We hope they’ll stay focused on lowering costs and improving quality of life instead of embracing this political nonsense.”

Vice President JD Vance visited Indiana for a second time Friday, Oct. 17 to urge Republican lawmakers and GOP Gov. Mike Braun to redo the state’s U.S. House maps. He and Hoosier officials also met in D.C.

Currently, Republicans control seven districts and Democrats have two in Indianapolis and northwest Indiana. The maps were drawn by Republicans in 2021 after the decennial census.

At the time, Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray said, “We prioritized keeping communities of interest together and drawing districts that make sense for the Hoosiers who live there, while maintaining nearly equal populations in each district. I believe these maps reflect feedback from the public and will serve Hoosiers well for the next decade.”

Supporters, though, want to draw a 9-0 map midway through the decade – and without new census data – to help ensure Republicans retain the majority in the U.S. House in the 2026 elections.

The media buy includes digital, radio and over-the-top streaming platforms. Multiple polls have found opposition to mid-decade redistricting.

Indiana Conservation Voters is encouraging residents to visit PlayFairIndiana.com to contact Braun and their state lawmakers.

“Every call and every message sends a clear signal: Hoosiers are not interested in political games from Washington,” Robertson said. “We want our leaders focused on Indiana’s future, not D.C.’s agenda.”