By Anna Cecil and Chloe White
TheStatehouseFile.com
December 5, 2025
Indiana House of Representatives voted Friday afternoon to send its draft of the state’s redrawn congressional map to the Senate. The vote on House Bill 1032 was 57-41, with 12 Republicans crossing party lines to vote no. The Trump administration has pushed for redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, and apparent legislative holdouts have experienced weeks of swatting attempts, doxxing and bomb threats.
The session lasted over three hours, and nearly every Democratic lawmaker spoke in opposition to the bill while just two Republicans rose in support of it—bill author Rep. Ben Smaltz, R-Auburn, and House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers.
Democrats took to the podium over and over to tell the House, in the words of Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, “It is a sad day for this institution.” Chief among their arguments: Hoosiers aren’t asking for early redistricting and won’t benefit from it.
“My emails, my calls—it’s all overwhelming. Ninety-nine percent is saying no,” said Rep. Sue Errington, D-Muncie, who represents one of the cities most impacted by the map, removed from surrounding Delaware County and joined to counties along the Michigan border. “Vote no on this map.”
Rep. Alex Burton, D-Evansville, echoed her remarks, saying lawmakers should be focusing on kitchen-table issues.
“It’s not about Hoosiers. It’s about a power grab,” he said. “My email is full of real-life examples. … Children in Southwest Indiana are going to sleep hungry and waking up cold.”
Rep. Mike Andrade, D-Munster, pointed out that only two of the 43 people who testified at Tuesday’s House Elections and Apportionment Committee were in favor of the bill.
“Hoosiers deserve better,” Andrade said. “We come here to do the people’s business.”
Some of the people most affected by a new map will be minorities—such as those living in Northwest Indiana’s Region and Marion County—said members of the Black Legislative Caucus. Rep. Robin Shackleford, D-Indianapolis, asked Smaltz if demographic data was considered when creating the map; he answered that they only looked at political performance data.
Before her speech, Rep. Vanessa Summers, D-Indianapolis, handed Huston a photo of her father, a former Indiana legislator, during the Civil Rights Movement.
“This piece of legislation is a direct threat to the representation of our Black and brown community,” she said. “It dilutes the voting power of communities of color and intentionally dilutes their political influence.”
Rep. Carey Hamilton, D-Indianapolis, echoed Democrats in Tuesday’s committee meeting, who called the map “racial gerrymandering.”
“When you overlay a map of Black household density, there’s a disturbing reality: The lines surgically divide the Black neighborhoods among the new districts that would be carved into the heart of Indianapolis,” she said.
“They might say this is only political, but it sure looks racial.”
Finally, a few Democratic lawmakers questioned Smaltz on who drew the map. Smaltz said it was drawn by the National Republican Redistricting Trust, and he was unsure if any public money was used. The organization’s website is a single page redirecting to the American Redistricting Project, which describes itself as a “a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to strengthen our republic by supporting constitutional redistricting.”
Speaking just before the vote, Huston said HB 1032 is legal and constitutional and that redistricting is an “ongoing constitutional responsibility.”
“The Supreme Court could not be clearer,” he said. “States may redraw districts whenever they deem appropriate provided constitutional and statutory requirements are met.”
Republican Reps. Tim Yocum of Clinton, Becky Cash of Zionsville, Greg Steuerwald of Avon, Mark Genda of Frankfort, Mike Karickhoff of Kokomo, Matt Lehman of Berne, Ed Clere of New Albany, Stephen Bartels of Eckerty, Dave Hall of Norman, Danny Lopez of Carmel, Peggy Mayfield of Martinsville and Jennifer Meltzer of Shelbyville broke with their party to downvote the bill, joining every Democrat except Rep. Cherrish Pryor, D-Indianapolis, who was attending a funeral at the time.
After the session, House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, said that, despite his party’s loss in the House, he isn’t confident HB 1032 will pass the Senate, which meets Monday to begin the process in that chamber.
“I think we made some really great arguments today on why it shouldn’t move forward,” he said. “I think they’ll have a robust discussion over there.”
Huston restated his support for the bill.
“I don’t think it’s uncommon on any controversial bill that the mass majority that show up are not in support of the bill, but we appreciate their input, their feedback,” said Huston. “We got the bill in a really good place.”
After the meeting, Rep. Becky Cash, R-Zionsville, and Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn, D-Fishers, were seen sharing an embrace. Cash has gone on the record as opposed to redistricting since the summer.
“I voted no,” Cash told TheStatehouseFile.com. “I’ve voted no since the beginning.”
Anna Cecil and Chloe White are reporters for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news site powered by Franklin College journalism students.
