INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana earned a “D” grade for its “secretive and partisan” lawmaker-led redistricting in a Coalition Hub for Advance Redistricting and Grassroots Engagement (CHARGE) report released Thursday.
Indiana’s General Assembly — dominated by Republican supermajorities in each chamber — approved new maps in October 2021. Shortly after, GOP Gov. Eric Holcomb signed them into law.
“Redistricting works best when people have influence over their voting districts,” said Julia Vaughn, who leads elections watchdog Common Cause Indiana, in a news release on Thursday.
“However, too many leaders in Indiana have prioritized their own interests over the will of the people, which is reflected in our grade,” Vaughn continued. “Moving forward, it is critical that we not only make it easier for Hoosiers to make their voices heard in redistricting but also pass redistricting standards that make it more difficult for lawmakers to draw maps driven by political concerns instead of the public interest.”
CHARGE said it conducted surveys and “hundreds of on-the-ground interviews” to create the 112-page report. The letter grades, it said, reflect interviewees’ feedback.
Indiana was one of 13 states to earn a “D,” “D+” or “D-.” Eight had “F”s.
“It’s undeniable that manipulation of voting districts for political advantage is a direct threat to the health of our democracy,” said Dan Vicuña, redistricting director for the nationwide Common Cause.
“However, that threat doesn’t derive from which party is up or down at a given moment,” he said. “It derives from the slicing and dicing of communities into districts in ways that make it impossible for their residents to have an effective voice in Congress, state legislatures, and local government.”
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