The Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission, a “mulitpartisan” group formed to advise and offer alternatives to the upcoming redistricting process in the Indiana General Assembly, has announced a public competition in which citizens can draw and submit their own congressional and legislative district maps online.
“We want to see maps that preserve communities of interest, keep cities, counties and towns intact whenever possible and do not advantage or disadvantage any political party,” according to a news release announcing the competition.
“The maps that best fulfill these criteria will win cash prizes, AND will help set the standard by which to judge the maps drawn by our legislators. The publicly drawn maps will be a tool to hold our legislators accountable and force them to justify their decision-making.”
The Indiana General Assembly is expected to convene during the weeks of Sept. 20 and 27 to complete the redistricting process. The proposed congressional and legislative districts, based upon census information released Aug. 12, have not been made public. Legislative leaders have said they also plan to invite the public to propose maps online.
More information about the Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission competition is available at https://portal.indiana-mapping.org/
The deadline for submissions is Sept. 13. — The Indiana Citizen
