Reform groups’ legislative agenda targets voting rights, redistricting
The League of Women Voters of Indiana met Thursday at the Indiana State Library to discuss its legislative agenda—what bills to advocate for and against this legislative session—with a gloomy theme: “Democracy hanging by a thread.” “We’re looking at another decade of “...”
Indiana Senate committee approves resolution calling for rare constitutional convention
An Indiana Senate committee Wednesday approved a proposal calling for a rare constitutional convention to keep the number of Supreme Court justices at nine. The proposal, Senate Joint Resolution 3, authored by Sen. Jim Buck (above), R-Kokomo, drew skepticism from members of bot “...”
With primary candidate filing less than a week away, St. Joseph County’s district lines are unresolved
UPDATE: The infighting over St. Joseph County’s redistricting process continued this week as the Republican-controlled Board of County Commissioners vetoed “contingency” maps redrawn by the County Council, only to have the veto overridden by the Democrat-led cou “...”
‘The Tippecanoe Way:’ No drama as new county maps are approved
Above: Proposed commissioner districts. From left: Current commissioner districts, proposed council districts, current council districts. The following reports from contributing writer Dave Bangert were first published in his Substack newsletter, Based in Lafayette, Indiana. “...”
Hoosiers speak out on vaccine-mandate bill in 7-hour hearing
An Indiana House committee heard more than seven hours of testimony Thursday on a bill that would effectively ban COVID-19 vaccine mandates by employers. Of more than 50 Hoosiers who spoke before the House Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee, the vast majority were anti-ma “...”
Despite the rush, maps from Monroe County’s bipartisan redistricting are well-received
What if politicians of both parties worked together to redraw election district maps, and both Republicans and Democrats were happy with how it went? That seems to be the case in Monroe County, where county commissioners recently approved districts that were recommended by a bipa “...”
In South Bend, a debate over racial gerrymandering and hiring of outside consultants in local redistricting
UPDATE: After an hourlong debate, the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday officially approved a redrawing of the districts from which the board’s three members will be elected for the next decade. The 2-1 vote reflected division within the all-Republican boa “...”
Indiana Chamber of Commerce announces priorities for 2022 legislative session
Under bright chandeliers at the Conrad Hotel in Indianapolis, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce met to present its key legislative issues for the 2022 session. The new session will be introduced Tuesday with legislative previews in both the House and Senate. The Indiana Chamber of “...”
John Krull commentary: Gerrymandering and the race to the bottom
They steal that which does not belong to them. And then politicians wonder why people do not trust them. What politicians crave most is power. They will do anything to hold it, to exert it, to wield it like a whip. That is why most politicians—Republican and Democrat—are so o “...”
Lee Hamilton commentary: The documents on which our democracy rests
As Americans, we tend—understandably—to focus on the Constitution as the source for our representative democracy. It is, after all, our basic operating document, the blueprint for the system we’ve been shepherding for the last 234 years. But the Constitution did not arise o “...”