Many Hoosier voters are worried about government corruption. They believe politicians make empty campaign promises and the government prioritizes the interests of the rich and powerful over working people, according to polling and interviews with Free Press Indiana News.
One in four voters identified government corruption as their top concern in the Free Press Indiana Poll earlier this month. Democrats were more likely to cite corruption, but it was also one of the three top issues among Republicans.
We wanted to know what voters meant by corruption, so we called back several poll respondents. We talked with voters ages 20 to 77; people in rural areas, suburbs and cities; and people who voted for Democrats, those who voted for President Donald Trump and those who are fed up with both parties.
Voters we spoke to had diverse views on what kind of government corruption concerned them, with some pointing to local political issues and others pointing to national ones.
But even among the wide range of views, some common themes emerged.
Government prioritizes the rich and powerful
“The government is serving the wealthy,” said Amy Fender, 50, who lives in Bloomington. “The government is serving the top 1% and not the people who go to work every day.”
Fender said she is not only worried about corruption in the Republican-controlled state and federal government, but also in local government where she believes people in real estate drive policy.
“The people who have the most money have the most say, and the citizens don’t have much of a voice anymore,” she said.
Fender voted early in the midterm election, almost entirely for Democrats. But voters from across political parties shared her view that the government is serving the interests of powerful elites.
Maura Roll, 41, of Jeffersonville, said that at the federal level, she is concerned about the deep state. But she does not believe government corruption stops there.
“I think it trickles down,” said Roll, who voted for Trump in 2016. “I think that the local governments, if you know the right people, people will turn their head to things that are illegal for the right amount of money.”
Hannah Roberts, 20, lives in suburban Indianapolis, and she’s in school for medical imaging. She said she’s upset that tax money is used to pay for the war in Iran and arms for Israel.
Roberts voted for Kamala Harris for president in 2024, but she does not consider herself a Democrat.
“I just feel like everything that is happening in terms of the government is for themselves,” Roberts said. “I just feel like everything is getting worse for the people who actually have to live day to day.”
Politicians make empty promises
Voters repeatedly said politicians of both parties make big commitments to change but don’t follow through.
Chris Arvin, 51, is a military veteran and father of four in Dubois County. Arvin has mostly voted for Republicans, and he said Trump “cleaned up the border.”
But broadly, he believes Trump has not fulfilled his political commitments.
“I voted for Trump, and I look at it as one of the worst votes I’ve ever placed in my history,” Arvin said. “These are the things that Trump ran on. I am going to end all wars, I’m gonna release the Epstein files — it’s never happened, and it will never happen.”
Despite sweeping promises from Democrats and Republicans, Arvin said the lives of middle-class people are not getting better. “It’s all performative. They’re all going to do what is in the best interest of them and their party.”
Arvin was one of several voters who pointed to what they consider broken promises.
“Everything that the government is trying to sell to us is the exact opposite of what they’re doing,” said Staci, 55, who lives on a small farm in southeast Indiana and usually votes for Democrats.
Staci asked to be identified only by her first name because her wife was deported and is trying to return to the country.
Voters were told that inflation would come down and the U.S. would not start a war, but neither happened, she said. They were also told the U.S. would deport “the worst of the worst.”
“My spouse was deported based on getting pulled over because a turn signal bulb was out in the car,” she said. “She did not have a driver’s license, which is a crime, but not worst of the worst criminals.”
Local, state and federal concerns
Arvin of Dubois County also pointed to concerns about the state government, including the push to construct the Mid‑States Corridor in the face of local opposition. The highway project would connect Interstate 64 and Interstate 69 in southern Indiana.
“They think that they can take your farm, your house, your property value, endanger the lives of people in dangerous intersections in doing all that — all because it’s going to shave five minutes per truck driver,” Arvin said.
Ryan Albertson, 39, is a father, store manager and college student who lives in Muncie. He pays attention to local government and watches local meetings. He sees residents speak out against data centers and solar power. But he feels like leaders don’t always listen.
“Usually it doesn’t matter what the people say on various issues, and they just kind of do what they do,” said Albertson, who voted for Trump in 2024 and describes himself as libertarian.
Asked about corruption, Albertson pointed to the example of the former mayor of Muncie, who pleaded guilty in 2021 to receiving a bribe.
“The same stuff is still going on. Our roads aren’t getting fixed but all this taxpayer money is getting tossed around,” Albertson said. “It’s an absurd amount of money.”
For some voters, concerns about corruption were primarily national.
Lynn Manzenberger, 77, of Lawrence County, farms cattle, corn and beans. Manzenberger said he sees corruption in the federal government.
People who get caught doing things wrong don’t get in trouble, he said. “It just looks to me like the Democrats and the Republicans are all in it together.”
Manzenberger sees Trump as a rare exception who exists outside the party system. He voted for him, and he would do so again, he said.
“My own personal opinion is, Trump is neither one,” Manzenberger said. “That’s why he’s hated so much.”
Free Press Indiana commissioned the poll by Bellwether Research. It surveyed 896 registered voters in Indiana from Oct. 8-11 via telephone interviews and online surveys sent by text message. The results are based on responses from 839 likely voters, and the margin of error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. Bellwether Research’s clients include former Gov. Mitch Daniels, Eli Lilly and the Nature Conservancy in Indiana.
FPI News, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations. Sign up for our free newsletter.
FPI News reporter Dylan Peers McCoy covers pressing issues throughout the state and how local communities are tackling those challenges. Reach her at 508-259-4809 or dylan.mccoy@fpinews.org.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
