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Regular readers already know we oppose the redistricting process the Republican-controlled Indiana House has undertaken and the Republican-controlled Indiana Senate will soon consider.
But let’s set that aside for the moment and consider the map the Indiana House advanced this week under the belief that it gives Republicans the best shot at winning all nine of Indiana’s U.S. House seats. (Reminder: Republicans currently hold seven of Indiana’s nine seats.)
The current map is not perfect, but it does a better job than many maps in the past at keeping what’s referred to as “communities of interest” together. The Republican majority in 2021 tried to follow what have long been considered redistricting priorities, among them making districts fairly compact and with school districts and communities broken into as few districts as possible.
The districts on the proposed map are anything but compact. Republicans acknowledge the map is designed for political gain, so the sprawling districts pay little attention to grouping counties based on economic centers.
Critics of the map have pointed out plenty of problems, but we’re focused here on the impact on the city of Indianapolis.
Under the current map, about two-thirds of the city—including its most urban core—is in the 7th District, which has been represented since 2008 by Rep. Andre Carson, a Democrat. That district is wholly contained within Marion County.
The southern third of Indianapolis is in the 6th District, which is represented by Republican Jefferson Shreve, whose current map extends east to the Ohio border and includes a lot of suburban and rural areas. Shreve is a former candidate for mayor of Indianapolis.
The proposed maps would divide Indianapolis into four districts—each capturing a smaller portion of Marion County and then meandering out into more suburban and rural areas.
The result, we fear, is that no one lawmaker would be the voice of Indianapolis and its residents. The districts are drawn in such a way to give Republicans the opportunity to win them without votes from Marion County, which means there’s little reason for those federal lawmakers to care about the things people in Indianapolis care about.
That’s a problem for Indiana’s capital city, which anchors the region that drives the state’s economy.
In a column published this week by The Indianapolis Star, former Mayor Greg Ballard, a Republican, wrote that the proposed map “is a shortsighted mistake that undermines our voice, weakens our community and threatens the main economic engine of our state.”
We agree completely. Indianapolis voters need the ability to send a representative to Congress who will advocate for the city, its people and the many corporate headquarters—Eli Lilly and Co., Elevance Health, Roche Diagnostics, Corteva, Simon Property Group and others—located here. It needs someone who is focused on urban problems. It doesn’t need to be carved up for political purposes.
We urge the Senate to say no to this map and move on to things that matter more.•
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