New study finds Indiana among the most gerrymandered states in the U.S.
A new academic study of Indiana’s 2011 redistricting, commissioned by the nonpartisan Women4ChangeIndiana and released Monday, has found “a very large pro-Republican bias” that is among the most extreme in the nation, according to the author, a nationally recogn “...”
Campus politics and Purdue’s new civics graduation requirement
On June 11, 2021, the Purdue University Board of Trustees approved a new civics education requirement effective with the incoming freshman class. In our continuing mission to report on the civic health of our state, The Indiana Citizen is publishing the following report from cont “...”
Erica Irish of TheStatehouseFile.com named SPJ’s Indiana Student Journalist of the Year
She might have come from a small college, but Erica Irish has big plans ahead of her. On Monday, Irish was announced as the Indiana Student Journalist of the Year by the Indiana Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Anyone who knows the 2021 Franklin College g “...”
THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENED: A decade after Indiana’s 2011 redistricting, those on the inside still aren’t talking.
Continuing our coverage of this year’s redistricting process, the following report was written by veteran journalists Janet Williams and Bill Theobald for The Indiana Citizen. June 14, 2021 *** Jeb Bardon knew it was over for Democrats in Indiana a decade ago, as soon as he “...”
2011 in a different light: Ex-lawmaker says Democrats ‘should shut up and eat what they served’ in 2001
June 21, 2021 One way of looking at Indiana’s 2011 redistricting is from the perspective of what’s happened since – a decade of Republican supermajorities in the General Assembly and a GOP lock on seven of the state’s nine congressional districts. But Dan Dumezich (above) “...”
Indiana faith leaders discuss the importance of redistricting
The Indiana Coalition for Independent Redistricting met Monday to talk with Indiana faith leaders about ways to connect the faith community with the issue. Common Cause Indiana co-sponsored the virtual webinar along with several other groups from the All IN for Democracy Coalitio “...”
Republican lawmakers concerned about IU requiring COVID vaccination
Attorney General Todd Rokita is concerned with the legality of Indiana University’s newly announced vaccination policy, and he is joined by a group of Republicans in the Indiana General Assembly. Nineteen signed a letter urging Gov. Eric Holcomb to stop universities from requir “...”
Another volley of court filings in Holcomb-Rokita dispute over lawsuit
Gov. Eric Holcomb and Attorney General Todd Rokita (above) continued this week to release conflicting press statements and file court documents in their dispute over the constitutionality of the House Enrolled Act 1123 lawsuit. In April, Holcomb vetoed the bill that would limit “...”
Legislative leaders offer little in response to redistricting recommendations
This week, legislators were given an eight-page report from the Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission, based on testimony gathered during 10 virtual public hearings that drew about 900 participants across the state. But by Friday, most of the legislative leaders contacted “...”
Do: Encourage competitiveness. Don’t: Divide communities. Citizens panel releases redistricting recommendations
Indiana’s new congressional and legislative districts could improve on its current ones in two significant ways — by sacrificing compactness for competitiveness and by uniting rather than dividing cities, counties and other communities of interest, a citizens group ur “...”