Lafayette Journal & Courier: Local Democratic leaders meet to criticize redistricting of district maps

ICYMI: Indiana House GOP Hires D.C. Republican Lawyer For Redistricting

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, has hit the road this week to criticize the Indiana Republican Party for manipulating the redistricting process and continuing a broken system that harms the future of Indiana. Despite promises to hold a “fair” and “transparent” redistricting effort, Republicans held a hollow public relations tour, hired a Washington, D.C. GOP operative to assist with the maps, and admitted their business would be conducted “behind closed doors” — all in an effort to keep Indiana’s legislative maps 95-percent more biased toward one party than the rest of the country. 

Democrats like State Representatives Chris Campbell and Sheila Klinker, Vigo County Councilman Todd Thacker, and others also explained the impact last decade’s gerrymandered districts have had on Indiana. This includes Indiana Republicans creating a “work more for less” economy, consistently underfunding the state’s public schools, and holding unnecessary culture wars that only divide Hoosier families and communities across the state. The INGOP’s proposed maps will likely continue the extreme partisanship that’s held Indiana back from a brighter future. 

This effort will continue next week in Allen, Floyd, and Vanderburgh counties. Details for each press conference are forthcoming. 

Terre Haute Tribune-Star: New Indiana Senate districts revealed

“Democratic Party representatives from the state, regional and local levels criticized the redrawn districts at a news conference Monday afternoon. The Republican-led redistricting is a “form of extreme partisanship,” as Vigo County Democratic Party Chairman Joe Etling and 8th Congressional District party chairperson Thomasina Marsili put it, aimed at solidifying the dominant party’s power.

Vigo County Councilman Todd Thacker said the last redistricting a decade ago, also guided by Republicans, had an adverse outcome for Hoosiers. “Did we get a good result the last time?” Thacker said, citing the GOP legislation that led to the Right to Work law, a shift in state funds toward private and charter schools, and a nullification of local health departments’ decision-making in crises such as the pandemic.”

WBAA: Indiana State Democrats Raise Alarm On New District Maps

“Local Democratic state representatives continued to raise the alarm Monday about new political district maps moving through the state legislature. 

An analysis of those maps has found that they are some of the most gerrymandered in the entire country. Republicans could win 56% of the vote and hold 70% of the seats. 

At a press conference, Rep. Chris Campbell (D-West Lafayette) said political gerrymandering – packing voters together to make districts less competitive – is the state’s most important issue. 

‘I think this is the most important issue that’s happening today,’ she said. ‘Any issue that’s important to you in the state of Indiana comes back to this.’”

Lafayette Journal & Courier: Local Democratic leaders meet to criticize redistricting of district maps

“Democratic leaders met Monday at the Tippecanoe County Democratic Party Headquarters to criticize the redistricting of Indiana’s new proposed Congressional and House District Maps. 

State Representatives Chris Campbell and Sheila Klinker, and Joe Mackey, former candidate for Indiana Congress, labeled the process gerrymandering in the maps proposed last week by the GOP.” […]

“What we saw this time was that the districts that did become competitive were shored up. They became more Republican and less Democratic districts. That means there will be no competition across the state, and we will see only one party ruling the state,” said Campbell.” […]

“State Rep. Campbell also highlighted the short turnaround Democrats and third parties had in regards to reviewing the new maps. 

‘The maps that we saw did not take into account any of the public comments asking for fair maps and transparency. They asked for more time to evaluate the maps, but they were all given 24 hours. The Senate maps will be released tomorrow again, (and) will only give the public 24 hours to analyze them, the Democrats to analyze them and for public comments to start,’ said Campbell.  

Mackey highlighted how gerrymandering affects voters and the political process. 

‘Of all the bills that were passed in the Statehouse in the last session, only four or five were bipartisan. The Democrats have literally been blocked out of a process because of partisan gerrymandering. We are 44 percent of the vote in the state and yet we have 22 percent representation,’ said Mackey.” […]

Dave Bangert: Democrats and the redistricting blues

“Meanwhile, in downtown Lafayette, Greater Lafayette’s two Democratic state representatives, along with the most recent Democrat who took a shot at running in a solid-red 4th Congressional District, on Monday continued to press for more transparency and more balanced General Assembly district maps, drawn by Republicans and on the verge of being finalized Thursday at the Statehouse.

They also continued to be convinced that no matter how much they point out flaws in the once-a-decade process, their protests will fall on deaf ears this week.

“They are knowingly using a broken system in favor of self-preservation and their special interests,” state Rep. Chris Campbell, a West Lafayette Democrat, said during a press conference in downtown Lafayette Monday morning.”

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