Our Chicago: Indiana lawmakers consider redistricting
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A battle is underway in Indiana over plans to draw new congressional maps.
President Donald Trump has urged state lawmakers to take action.
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The hope is that Republicans can pick up more seats in a state in which they already hold seven of nine congressional seats.
One of the two seats currently held by Democrats is the First Congressional District in Northwest Indiana. It includes all of Lake and Porter counties, along with part of LaPorte County.
A new proposed map would change that. The Indiana House passed the measure on Friday. It now goes to the Senate.
Dr. Jennifer Hora is a political science professor at Valparaiso University.
"President Trump is pushing really hard for Republican controlled legislatures to do that redistricting. And we've seen that in several different states. In particular, it seems they've really focused on Indiana," Hora said. "In the last couple of months, Vice President Vance has actually visited our statehouse twice to talk to legislators. That is not normal."
Bryan Zarou is the vice president of policy for the Better Government Association in Chicago. He says the BGA believes there should be independent commissions to draw congressional maps.
"These commissions that create nonpartisan, fair maps, in other words. We tried to do this a few years ago in Illinois, didn't work out too well. But the main goal of politicians, whoever's in power, is to create as much advantage for themselves as possible. So, we've seen that happen in Illinois; we're seeing that happen in Texas. They do two things: they try to gain as many seats as possible by gaming, or using a political science term, packing and crackling the districts. And they also do it in a way where they can at least get by the court scrutiny of their state so they can actually pass it and that's what we did in Illinois," Zarou said.
Hora says Indiana has become a focus of this redistricting effort for a couple of reasons.
"In particular, we have a Republican governor, as well as a Republican House and a Republican Senate. And not only Republican, but supermajority in both. Seventy of our 100 members of the Indiana House are Republican and 40 of the 50 Senators are Republican," Hora said.
Hora says Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has been very outspoken, encouraging lawmakers to approve the redistricting. She says the goal is for Republicans to hold all nine of Indiana's Congressional seats.
When it comes to redistricting in states across the country, Zarou calls it a "race to the bottom."
"You have these gerrymandered maps where politicians are choosing their voters," Zarou said.
And Zarou asks, "If everyone is doing this, what incentive is there, when people go to Congress, to start compromising with each other?"
He says those at the top need to stop fueling this kind of redistricting. And, he says, Congress needs to make sure every state has an independent commission.
