Members of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus and community advocates gathered Monday, Nov. 3, at the Statehouse to oppose plans for mid-decade redistricting. Photo by Casey Smith, Indiana Capital Chronicle.

By Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — Members of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus and multiple community advocates gathered Monday inside the Statehouse rotunda to oppose Republican efforts to redraw Indiana’s congressional maps before the next census.

The rally came the same morning that GOP legislative leaders announced they won’t take up redistricting until December, postponing any action until weeks after Gov. Mike Braun called the General Assembly to reconvene Monday, Nov. 3.

Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray said the delay “makes the most sense” logistically and financially, given that state lawmakers will technically meet during the regular legislative calendar.

Inside the Statehouse, speakers called the proposed mid-decade redistricting “unethical” and “morally corrupt,” warning it could weaken representation for Black, Latino and urban communities.

The two districts being targeted cover much of Indianapolis and northwest Indiana and currently have Democratic representation.

“The maps that shape our district also shape our futures,” said Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, who chairs the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus. “Redistricting isn’t just a technical process – it’s a moral one. It determines resources in our communities and how voices are heard and how voices are counted.”

‘This Is Not The Will Of The People’

The two-hour event, dubbed “Democracy Doesn’t Get Redrawn,” featured Hoosier faith leaders, civil-rights groups and advocates from across the state, including the NAACP, Common Cause Indiana, the African American Coalition of Indianapolis and Indivisible Northwest Indiana.

Several speakers tied the renewed redistricting push to national GOP efforts led by Pres. Donald Trump.

Advocates from across the state joined the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus for a rally on Monday, Nov. 3, in the Statehouse rotunda to oppose plans for mid-decade redistricting. Photo by Casey Smith, Indiana Capital Chronicle.

“Did any of you call for this, as citizens of Indiana? No. Did any of us as leaders call for this? No. This call came from outside the house – outside the state,” said Willis Bright, chair of the African American Coalition of Indianapolis.

“The idea for doing this has come from people who are eliminating means for health care for all of our people around the state of Indiana,” he continued. “It’s from people who are eliminating means for quality and equitable education for children. It is for people who have weaponized – politicized – independent organizations to go after people who don’t like what they stand for.”

Karla Lopez Owens, a Latino community advocate and attorney, noted that district lines are historically redrawn on a 10-year cycle, after every census. The current congressional maps were finalized in October 2021.

“What we’re seeing right now is unprecedented. This is not the will of the people. … We live in a democracy, not a dictatorship,” she said. “Those procedural safeguards are meant to give the public a chance to provide feedback, and these procedures are meant to be followed.”

Faith leaders framed the issue as a spiritual one, too.

“When lines are drawn to lock some people out, injustice sneaks in,” said Rev. David Greene, president of the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis. “When communities are split to weaken their power, democracy begins to crumble.”

Megan Robertson, executive director of Indiana Conservation Voters, said redistricting under federal political pressure betrays Hoosier values: “We’ve got folks in Washington, D.C., who are terrified of losing power and willing to cheat to win. That’s not how we do things in Indiana.”

Calls To ‘Take Action’

Julia Vaughn, executive director of Common Cause Indiana, urged Hoosiers to keep contacting lawmakers, saying multiple polls have shown opposition to mid-decade mapmaking.

“These districts belong to us – not the Republican National Committee,” Vaughn said. “Mid-cycle redistricting is not OK for Indiana.”

U.S. Rep. André Carson, whose district includes much of heavily Democratic Indianapolis, speaks against proposed redistricting via a prepared video during a rally held Monday, Nov. 3, at the Indiana Statehouse. Photo by Casey Smith, Indiana Capital Chronicle.

She further warned about the dangers of political interference in the state’s redistricting process and stressed that the core values of American democracy “have never been under more stress.”

“For the past 20 years, we’ve had a supermajority drawing districts here in Indiana. It should be of no surprise to anyone that many of us feel under represented in our state,” Vaughn added. “We don’t need new maps. We need fair maps. Let’s stand united and stop this.”

Democrat U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, whose Indianapolis district is the only majority-minority district in the state and one Republicans are seeking to flip, appeared via video message.

“I’m in D.C. working for you, but Trump and his allies want to tip the scale so Congress represents their interests, not ours,” he said in a prepared statement. “They want to erase Black, Latino and Asian voices, but we’ve fought for our rights before – and today, that fight continues.”

Braun officially called lawmakers back for a special session last week to consider redistricting after national Republicans urged GOP-controlled states to redraw congressional boundaries before 2026.

The Senate announced Monday, Nov. 3 that it will complete its legislative business by Dec. 12. The General Assembly will reconvene again Jan. 5.

But Harris said that when legislators reconvene later this month, it should be to tackle issues such as child care, housing and food security – not to redraw political lines.