COMMENTARY: Redistricting reform effort will continue in Indiana

“The way it all played out was incredibly disappointing,” said Vaughn, policy director for Common Cause Indiana. “He led us to believe he liked our proposal. He was a co-sponsor of the bill, for goodness’ sake.”

Instead, Smith, chairman of the House Elections and Appropriations Committee, waited until the 11th hour to announce he would not give the bill a hearing. He pointed to numerous cases heading for the U.S. Supreme Court and noted that the resulting rulings could well undo any action the legislature took in this year’s session.

Vaughn doesn’t buy that.

“You could use that excuse forever,” she said. “At some point, legislators are going to have to decide, and our job is to convince them they can’t wait any longer.”

Vaughn admits that even if the bill Smith killed had won approval this year, the fight would have been far from over. That measure set criteria to be used in drawing districts, but reform advocates believe the real fix is to hand this process over to a citizen-led redistricting commission.

The good news is that Smith will not be around to stand in the way next year. The Republican from Columbus announced in January he would not seek re-election this year.

Vaughn promises to keep up the fight, and she remains optimistic that her efforts will get some help from those pending court cases.

“We’re on a bit of a roll in the courts, and we hope that continues,” she said.

It’s possible Indiana lawmakers will soon be looking at yet another court case, this one involving the maps drawn in Indiana after the 2010 census.

“I know some people are looking at it,” Vaughn said.

Of course, at this late date, tossing those maps would be more symbolic than anything.

“By the time the case was decided, it would likely be too late to change the current maps,” Vaughn said.

And so Vaughn and others will keep working to build grassroots support for their effort.

“We just have to keep making our case,” she said.

Though redistricting reform is a priority for the Indiana Democratic Party, Vaughn stresses that electing more Democrats is not what this fight is about. In many states, Democrats are the ones drawing the maps, and those maps are just as likely as any to be tilted in favor of one party.

The goal of reform is to take the politics out of redistricting. Organizations like Common Cause and the League of Women Voters are working to move the process out of the backrooms and into the open where the average voter might have a voice in the finished product.

Now, for too many lawmakers, the election is effectively over in the primary. They represent districts where the numbers so favor one party that a candidate from the other party has literally no chance of winning in November.

And that leads to voter apathy. Folks stay home because they believe their votes won’t make a difference.

It also contributes to an environment where the two parties stop talking to each other. Lawmakers representing onesided districts lose their incentive to compromise. They move closer to the extremes rather than looking for common ground.

For those looking to change this scenario, the clock is ticking. To have any chance at meaningful reform ahead of the next redistricting process, the Legislature needs to act no later than next year.

This is a change Indiana needs. Now’s a good time to make your voice heard.