The legislative responsibility of redistricting occurs only once every 10 years. It’s an important responsibility— organizing the state’s congressional and legislative electorate for the next 10 years— and a big one. In Indiana, there are 159 legislative and congressional districts to weigh against the latest U.S. Census.
Last Thursday morning, the Indiana House of Representatives wrapped it up in 90 minutes. A 67-31 vote, reflecting the strength of the chamber’s Republican supermajority, sent the redistricting legislation, House Bill 1581, to the Indiana Senate, which is scheduled to begin and wrap up its review this week.
Indiana’s 4.7% population growth shown in the 2020 census, was certainly not evenly distributed across the state. More than half of the state’s 92 counties lost population while several counties around Indianapolis gained.
There will be changes next year in who represents significant portions of Jackson and Scott Counties.
District 69, currently represented by Jim Lucas (R) of Seymour drops portions of Jennings and Jefferson Counties, and expands into Scott County, adding Johnson, Jennings and Finley Townships into the district as well as expanding into northeast Washington County to include Gibson, Franklin Washington (Salem) and the east portion of Jefferson Townships.
Carr Township in southwest Jackson County, formerly represented by the late Rep. Steve Davisson in District 73, has been moved to District 65, represented by Chris May (R) of Bedford.
Owen, Pershing and Salt Creek Townships in northwest Jackson County have been moved into District 62 currently represented by Jeff Ellington (R) of Bloomington.
District 66, currently represented by Zack Payne (R) of Charlestown, gives up three townships in Scott County to Lucas while still representing Vienna and Lexington Townships as well as a good portion of Clark County and southwest portion of Jefferson County.
The only Republican to speak against the legislation— and the only legislator Thursday to mention the effect on his own district— was Rep. Jeff Ellington (District 62) of Bloomington, who said the redrawing would split his constituency, which he described as a community of interest along the I-69 corridor between Indiana University and the Crane naval facility in Martin County.
“Having the largest employer in southwest Indiana, I’m here to defend my district, my corridor, from my proposed map change,” he said. “All see this as a bad change at a time when southwest Indiana employment opportunity needs more investment.”
Ellington was one of three Republicans to join all House Democrats in voting against the bill; the others were John Jacob of Indianapolis, a social conservative who is frequently at odds with caucus leadership and whose redrawn district would include the residence of a former legislator who has said she might challenge him for renomination, and Matt Hostettler of Patoka in southwestern Indiana.
“Our job was to draw maps to reflect the population, communities of interest and compactness,” said House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers. “I’ll stand up and defend these maps all day long.”