By Dan Carden, Times of Northwest Indiana
dan.carden@nwi.com
INDIANAPOLIS | The Indiana Senate gave final approval Thursday to specific guidelines to be used when new congressional and legislative districts are drawn next year.
Under Senate Bill 80, legislators would have to draw districts in such a way that they preserve traditional neighborhoods and communities of interest, protect minority voting rights, be compact and of simple shapes and try to avoid crossing county and precinct boundaries.
Current state law only requires that all portions of a legislative district be contiguous.
State Sen. Connie Lawson, R-Danville, said the requirements will provide "guidance for our redistricting process and give us a starting point for drawing our maps based on rational factors."
District boundaries are redrawn every 10 years after the U.S. census is completed. Depending on which political party draws the lines, the party in control can shape districts that protect their members and ensure a majority in the General Assembly.
The Republican-controlled Senate approved the new redistricting requirements 47-1.
In a separate vote, the Senate also agreed to establish a study committee to consider turning over drawing new district lines to an independent redistricting commission in 2021.
The committee will review Indiana's redistricting process and compare it to other states while also investigating the different technologies that can be used to best draw district lines. State Sen. Sue Landske, R-Cedar Lake, sponsored Senate Bill 136.
"It is a process that is complicated and one that we believe requires careful, measured consideration," Landske said.
The Senate voted 45-3 to sent the legislation to the House.