The walls of the Indiana House chamber usually do a good job of muffling outside noise.
But that wasn’t the case Monday, Dec. 1, as hundreds of people came to the Indiana Statehouse to protest the Republican-led effort to redraw Indiana’s nine congressional districts.
Passionate cries of “shame on you” and “Hoosiers don’t cheat” could be heard just outside the House chamber. Inside the assembly hall, Republicans and Democrats fought over whether Republicans broke the rules by meeting in December instead of January.
Republicans hold seven of Indiana’s nine U.S. House seats. President Donald Trump and other Republicans want to make the map 9-0 in the GOP’s favor, seeking to give the party two extra seats in the 2026 elections that will determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives. Democrats only need to flip a handful of seats to overcome the Republicans’ current margin.
Nationally, mid-cycle redistricting so far has resulted in nine more congressional seats that Republicans believe they can win and six more congressional seats that Democrats think they can win, putting the GOP up by three. However, redistricting is being litigated in several states, and there’s no guarantee that the parties will win the seats they’ve redrawn.
Related
Indy residents sound off on redistricting
This time, we asked and you answered.
Dividing Marion County
A proposed map released by Indiana House Republicans would split the city of Indianapolis into four different congressional districts, a plan that Democratic Rep. André Carson called “ridiculous” in a press release.
As currently drawn, six townships in Marion County fall in the 7th congressional district, which Carson represents. The three southside townships — Decatur, Franklin and Perry — fall in the 6th congressional district, which is represented by Republican Rep. Jefferson Shreve.
Some redistricting opponents believe the new maps, if passed, could be thrown out by a court, as was the case with Republican-drawn maps in Texas, which were blocked by federal judges who found they were racially gerrymandered.
Rep. Cherrish Pryor, an Indianapolis Democrat, said the proposed maps from Indiana House Republicans “are racially gerrymandered — there’s no ifs, ands or buts about it.”
What are people saying?
Opponents of redistricting say it will dilute the voices of Indy residents.
Speedway resident Kim Saylor said she fears losing Carson as an advocate in Congress.
“As someone who’s disabled, he has been pivotal in helping me navigate systems that I didn’t understand,” Saylor said. “He cares about his constituency in ways that I don’t see many congresspeople care.”
Vince Reece, a 33-year-old Fountain Square resident, was one of a handful of young people who participated in the daytime protest. He said he hopes to see more younger people protest as lawmakers continue to meet.
“I’m hoping that as this continues to fill out more and more people show up, we’ll see people from all different demographics and age ranges here to talk about what really matters,” Reece said.
Chris Dean, who lives in the near southwest side, called the Republican effort “an unconstitutional power grab” that dilutes the voices of Indy voters.
“Their ability to speak up and speak out and have any sort of political power is being drained away and drowned out,” Dean said.
What’s next?
The bill to redraw Indiana’s districts was sent to the House Elections and Apportionment committee, which will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, to consider the legislation and take public comment.
State Senate leaders said they would meet Monday, Dec. 8 to discuss redistricting.
Indiana Senate’s leader, President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, in November said the Senate did not have the votes. A spokesperson for Bray’s office did not respond Friday when asked if that is still the case.
“The issue of redrawing Indiana’s congressional maps mid-cycle has received a lot of attention and is causing strife here in our state,” Bray said in a Nov. 25 statement. He said the Senate will finally decide the matter this month.
Meanwhile, Trump attacked Indiana senators on social media, particularly Bray. He swore to endorse primary opponents of defecting senators. A spree of threats and swatting attempts were subsequently made against lawmakers who either said they do not support redistricting or have not taken a stance. Republican Gov. Mike Braun, who supports redistricting, said he was also threatened.
How to testify
Members of the public who want to testify on the bill in person should sign up prior to the start of the meeting.
The form to sign up to testify in person is available here. It will go live at 12 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2. Check-in and in-person sign up will begin at 8:30 a.m.
Those who sign up online must check in at the table outside the House chamber, which is located on the third floor of the Indiana Statehouse, 200 W. Washington St.
The meeting is expected to conclude by 2:45 p.m. Depending on the number of people who sign up to testify, the committee chair may limit testimony.
Related
Indiana redistricting, explained
Follow the efforts to redraw Indiana’s congressional districts, and learn how that affects Indianapolis voters in upcoming elections.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
