Area legislators fall along party lines to express concerns and praise about the Republican-drawn redistricting maps as the maps were signed off by the governor Monday.
On Friday, Republican lawmakers gave final approval to their party’s redrawing of Indiana’s congressional and legislative districts. On Monday, Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, signed the bill with the proposed maps into law, “completing this once-in-a-decade constitutionally required process,” Holcomb said in a statement.
“I want to thank but the House and Senate for faithfully following through in an orderly and transparent way,” Holcomb said in the statement. “And, a special thanks to every Hoosier who participated in the process by sharing their local perspective and input.”
The Senate voted 36-12 – with one Republican senator and all Democrats present voting against – in support of the maps. The House voted 64-25 – with three Republican House members joining all Democrats present voting against – in favor of the maps.
Republicans maintain they followed federal and state laws to match population changes recorded by the 2020 census while avoiding splitting counties and cities between multiple districts as much as possible.
Democrats and civil rights groups countered by pointing to the fragmenting of Fort Wayne’s large Black and Latino communities among three likely Republican Senate districts that will have rural white voters making up the majorities.
Critics also argued that the cities of Evansville, Lafayette and West Lafayette were divided among rural, Republican Senate districts while their populations were enough for them to have districts of their own that would be competitive between Republicans and Democrats.
While Republicans typically win close to 60% of the statewide vote, they hold 73% of 150 legislative seats. They have two-third supermajorities in the state House and Senate, allowing them to approve legislation even with no Democrats present.
Republicans have used the full legislative supermajorities they’ve held since the 2012 elections to advance issues such as expanded state funding of vouchers for students attending private schools, cutting corporate tax rates, toughening anti-abortion laws and approving a contentious religious objections law in 2015.
State Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, said because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 census data was released later than usual, which delayed redistricting.
But, while it was a hurried process this year, Republicans could’ve been more transparent, Smith said. The transparency, Smith said, should’ve started with presenting the proposed maps ahead of the public hearings that were held in August.
Nonetheless, Smith said the maps were gerrymandered, or drawn by the state’s Republican majority in their party’s interests.
“In Northwest Indiana, there was a lot of packing of minorities. In the southern part (of the state), they’re breaking up districts, which leads to minority voices being silenced,” Smith said.
The Senate maps “are deplorable,” Smith said, because Republicans drew Sen. Frank Mrvan, D-Hammond, into District 2, which is currently held by Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago. The maps were redrawn in a similar way for districts in Fort Wayne and Evansville, he said.
Republicans did that, Smith said, “to minimize the minority or Democratic impact” in those districts.
“That’s an effort not to have minority voices silenced,” Smith said. “The whole process smelled. It smelled to the high heavens.”
With the current Republican supermajority, Smith questioned why Republicans proposed maps that give them an advantage.
With 42% of voters registered as Republicans and 37% of voters registered as Democrats, according to a Pew Research study, the maps should reflect that, Smith said.
“That should be the breakdown of the House, Senate and Congress,” Smith said. “These maps are not good for the constituents.”
State Rep. Michael Aylesworth, R-Hebron, said the House Democrats, in his view, didn’t have many concerns about the redrawn maps. But, as a whole, the Democrats complained about “wanting more of the minority vote.”
“The opposition, of Democrats or vice versa, always finds reasons to complain,” Aylesworth said. “I understand their concerns, but it is what it is. We did our best to keep communities of interest together.”
When asked about Republicans maintaining a 7-2 hold in Congress, Aylesworth said he can only speak to Northwest Indiana. He said he was happy to see the First Congressional District, currently held by Democrat U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, include the whole Lake Michigan shoreline.
“Even though it’s someone from a different party, I think it’s the right thing to do,” Aylesworth said.
Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary, in a statement said the redistricting process and the proposed maps “are not what Hoosiers asked for.”
“Residents across the state repeatedly asked for transparency and involvement. We didn’t have that. The supermajority held one round of hearings before population data and district maps were even released – hearings where they did not answer Hoosier questions and, clearly, did not listen to Hoosier requests to keep communities of interest together,” Melton said.
In Northwest Indiana, Melton said, two senators “were drawn into the same district” and in West Lafayette and Lafayette “communities of interest were inexplicably split up.”
“I’m very disappointed by the partisan nature of the redistricting process as well as the actions by the supermajority to deliberately dilute minority voices,” Melton said. “The supermajority’s intent to secure complete political control by drowning out certain voices seems clear from their actions, and it’s truly a disservice to our residents.”
The legislature could have “approved fair maps that kept communities of interest together,” Melton said, as well as addressing the concerns that voters had with the district maps “and made it clear that their voices were actually heard during the hearings that the supermajority has repeatedly touted.”
“We could have shown Hoosiers and the nation that Indiana is capable of putting the needs and will of our residents above selfish, partisan desires. Instead, the supermajority chose to ensure their own political control for the next 10 years, and Hoosiers will suffer the price,” Melton said.
