The reasons offered to justify unprecedented midterm redistricting in Indiana mainly fall into two camps.
The first is that Democrats have gerrymandered districts in the states they control, so why shouldn’t Indiana Republicans do the same?
The other is that Republicans must maintain power to fulfill President Donald Trump’s agenda, and Indiana should fall in line with his wishes.
MOST OF US wouldn’t accept this line of thinking from a child. How many parents would tell their children that it’s OK to do something wrong just because other kids have also done something wrong?
And make no mistake about it, gerrymandering districts to favor a political party is wrong. It’s cheating, plain and simple. It also discourages people from voting. If you reside in a district where one party is an overwhelming favorite to win, you’re unlikely to vote if your political beliefs don’t fall in line with the majority. This also discourages good candidates from seeking office.
Indiana’s straight-party voting system has already dumbed down elections to the point where too many Hoosiers don’t seem to pay much attention to individual candidates before pulling the lever. Rigging the state’s nine Congressional districts to favor Republicans will only guarantee more of the same.
DEMOCRATS WHO have gerrymandered in other states are also wrong. But we’re not other states. We’re Indiana. We don’t have to muddy ourselves with political dirt because others have sold out to win elections.
Isn’t it ironic that once upon a time, candidates campaigned against being a Washington insider. Outside influences were deemed to be sinister, and their intentions disadvantageous to the common Hoosier. But many in the Indiana Republican Party are now welcoming outsiders, asking them, and not the people who live here, to determine the state’s political future.
Pressuring Red states like Indiana into early redistricting is also an admission of weakness by the Trump administration. They’re signaling that their policies and performance aren’t likely to allow Republicans to maintain a majority in the U.S. House following the midterm elections, so they’re asking Indiana and other states to bail them out by changing the rules of the game.
IT’S ALSO a sign of weakness for Indiana lawmakers to bow down to the wishes of a president. They were elected to represent Hoosiers, not people who haven’t spent much time in Indiana other than a quick flight down from DC to meet with GOP leaders to push an agenda.
Once we get past 2026, there should be a concerted effort to completely change how our country redistricts. We have ample technology now to draw fair maps without allowing political operatives to sink their claws into our election processes.
Until then, Hoosiers should make their voices heard and consider the precedent that could be set by early redistricting. Power changes, and one day, such tactics could be deployed against those who currently hold the cards.
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