Washington, D.C. – Today, John Bisognano, President of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), issued the following statement in response to the Indiana House of Representatives passing an extreme mid-decade congressional gerrymander:

“Indiana House Republicans just voted to make the Hoosier State one of the most egregiously gerrymandered states in the country, on par with Texas and North Carolina. They did this at the direction of the very same players in Washington who continue to stoke violent threats against their colleagues in the Indiana Senate, just as they did to Vice President Mike Pence on January 6th. By allowing threats of political violence to influence their decision-making and ignoring the overwhelming opposition among their constituents to a mid-decade gerrymander, Republicans are leading their state down a dark and dangerous path. Neither this gerrymander nor these unacceptable threats of political violence reflect Hoosiers—and both must be stopped.” 

BACKGROUND ON PROPOSED GERRYMANDER: 

The proposed congressional map would make the Hoosier State one of the most egregiously gerrymandered states in the country, on par with states notorious for gerrymandering, such as Texas, Florida, Ohio and North Carolina. 

Below are just a few examples of the egregious nature of the Republican-proposed gerrymander in Indiana:

Divides Indianapolis into Four Districts: On the Republican-proposed gerrymander, Marion County, home to Indianapolis—Indiana’s largest city—is divided into four congressional districts, most of which stretch hundreds of miles from the city and reach the western, eastern and southern state lines. 

• The Ninth Congressional District stretches from Indianapolis down to the Indiana-Kentucky border in Harrison County, nearly 150 miles away. 
• The Seventh Congressional District sprawls out in multiple directions from Indianapolis. It stretches north to Madison County, then heads east, snaking around Muncie, Indiana—home to Ball State University—and then continues to the Ohio state line. From there, the district stretches south to the Kentucky state line in Ohio, Jefferson and Switzerland counties, as far as 115 miles from Indianapolis. The district is about 150 miles north to south.
• The Fourth Congressional District stretches from Indianapolis west to the Illinois state line in Vermillion County, then north to Newton, Jasper, and White counties, and finally south to include part of Greene County. In each direction, the district stretches at least 100 miles away from Indianapolis. 
• The Sixth Congressional District stretches east from Indianapolis to Fayette County, then south to Jennings County, about 80 miles from Indianapolis.

Splits the Lake Michigan Shoreline in Two: On the proposed gerrymander, the Lake Michigan Shoreline is divided into two congressional districts. 

• The First Congressional District, which used to include the entire Lake Michigan shoreline, sprawls from Lake County, which includes Gary, Indiana, to Wabash County, about 130 miles away. 
• Meanwhile, the oddly shaped Second Congressional District includes parts of Porter and LaPorte counties, including the Indiana Dunes. From that area, the district extends east to split the city of Elkhart and Elkhart County, then southeast into Whitley County, about 100 miles away from the Indiana Dunes. 

Targets College Towns: The Republican proposed gerrymander also targets college towns, including areas where two of the state’s largest universities—Indiana University Bloomington and Purdue University—are located. 

• As reported by the Purdue Exponent, the proposed gerrymander splits the campus of Purdue University between the Fourth and Fifth Congressional Districts. 
• For the first time since at least 2001, Monroe County, which includes Bloomington, Indiana—home to Indiana University Bloomington—has been moved into the Eighth Congressional District, oddly jutting out to connect Monroe County with the state’s most southwestern counties. 
• Meanwhile, the oddly shaped Third Congressional District extends to include Muncie, Indiana—home to Ball State University—and stretches east to the Ohio border and north to Indiana’s northwest corner in Steuben County, bordering Michigan and Ohio. From there, the district stretches west along the Michigan border, then just south of it, splitting the city of Elkhart, Indiana. 

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