Chants of “Stop the Steal,” “Just Say No,” and “Cheaters” echoed inside the Indiana Statehouse as more than 200 people gathered about two hours before the House gaveled in to take up mid-census redistricting on Monday afternoon in Indianapolis.
The House advanced mid-census redistricting by assigning a bill changing the rules of when to conduct redistricting to the House Elections and Apportionment committee, scheduled for a hearing at 8 a.m. central time on Tuesday. The hearing will last until 1:45 p.m. central, with the House scheduled to reconvene at 2 p.m. central.
Speaker of the House Todd Huston, R-Fishers. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
A few hours before gaveling in, the House released its proposed map that splits the current First District, held by U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, into two, by putting the majority of Porter County into the Second District, which is currently held by U.S. Rep. Rudy Yakym, R-Granger. The new First District stretches eastward from Lake County toward Wabash County in north central Indiana.
The Seventh District, currently held by U.S. Rep. André Carson, D-Indianapolis, was divided into four sections, with the majority of Marion County split into the districts held by U.S. Rep. Jefferson Shreve, R-Indianapolis, and U.S. Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Salem.
House Bill 1032, authored by State Rep. Ben Smaltz, R-Auburn, would allow the legislature to amend congressional districts “at a time other than the first regular session of the general assembly convening immediately following the United States decennial census.”
In 2021, the state legislature took up redistricting and created a map where seven seats are held by Republicans and two seats are held by Democrats. Typically, redistricting occurs every 10 years after the release of census data.
In August, Vice President JD Vance came to Indianapolis to talk to Republican leadership about mid-census redistricting. Over the summer, the Trump administration asked Republican-led states, starting with Texas, to change their Congressional maps so that Republicans can maintain their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
During a rally ahead of the session, State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, said it was disappointing to come back in early December since the legislature has been talking about mid-census redistricting for months.
Harris said the mid-census redistricting was taken up because Republicans at the federal level don’t want to face voters in 2026.
“If the policies work, you don’t change the game,” Harris said.
The proposed map looks like it was drawn by someone who lives outside of Indiana, Harris said. For example, the First District splits Lake and Porter counties and extends into central Indiana.
“How does that make sense?” Harris said. “The districts are crazy.”
State Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary, said at the rally that Northwest Indiana knows about using lines as “tools of power” and “control.”
“This is not new. That’s why we can’t pretend this map is innocent,” Hatcher said.
It’s unacceptable, Hatcher said, that the proposed map splits Northwest Indiana, which has a large proportion of Black voters.
“That is not neutral. That is racist,” Hatcher said.
Hatcher said she challenged her colleagues in the House to “reject this map and stand on the right side of history.”
Julia Vaughn, the executive director of Common Cause, said at the rally that the legislators “thought we wouldn’t be paying attention.”
“We aren’t going away until we defeat (the proposed map),” Vaughn said to loud cheers.
Vaughn said what likely caused the legislators to come back into session in December was the recent swatting threats against some Republican senators. Multiple Republican senators reported threats of violence against them after the Senate voted last month to reconvene the 2026 session in January, which effectively ended the governor’s call to a special session to address redistricting.
Vaughn said the majority of Hoosiers don’t support new maps.
“We are going to be heard, and we’re going to win this fight,” Vaughn said.
Sarah Ferraro, of Crown Point, said Indiana Conservation Voters arranged for a bus to take Northwest Indiana residents to the statehouse for the rally. About 15 people met at 8 a.m. outside the Southlake Mall to make the trip, she said.
There are more important things, like education, to focus on instead of mid-census redistricting, Ferraro said.
“This is just a total power grab,” Ferraro said. “It’s just wrong.”
After the rally, those in attendance stood outside the House chambers chanting “No Kings, No” and “Shame On You.”
When the House gaveled in, House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, made a point of order that Republican House leaders did not follow House rules by convening on Monday. When the House adjourned on Organization Day last month, the motion to adjourn stated the House would return Jan. 5, 2026.
House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, ruled GiaQuinta’s point was “not well taken.” GiaQuinta appealed Huston’s decision, which forced a House vote.
Under state law and House rules, the House has to meet at the time stated in the motion, and any changes to the date have to be agreed to by the House Speaker and the minority leader, GiaQuinta said. GiaQuinta said Huston never called him to discuss the change in convening.
“We shouldn’t be here at all today,” GiaQuinta said. “We have rules that govern this house.”
State Rep. Cherrish Pryor, D-Indianapolis, said not following the rules sets a negative precedent, particularly for the minority party.
“This is a very slippery slope that we are headed down,” Pryor said. “The rules — that’s all we have.”
State Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis, said Monday “was the lowest moment in this House” since he was selected in 2008.
“We’re going to vote that the minority doesn’t even have the one darn right that was put in the rule book,” DeLaney said. “You said we had some right on scheduling. What a simple right.”
Smaltz said he is “a person that does value the rules,” which stated that the House should convene on the third Tuesday after the first Monday of November and then adjourn to either a certain, fixed day or “when the gavel of each house falls in the presence of a quorum whether or not a day certain to reconvene in session has been fixed.”
“So, it is clearly allowed,” Smaltz said. “We are behaving properly, as we should, and I would encourage you to uphold the ruling of the chair.”
The House voted 65-18 to uphold Huston’s ruling.
Then, the House voted 20-66 to adjourn, which meant the session continued.
State Rep. Blake Johnson, D-Indianapolis, filed a motion to object to House Bill 1032 because Indiana prides itself on not governing with “chaos, dysfunction or malice.” House Bill 1032 “dismantles that entire argument,” he said.
By splitting Indianapolis into four parts, Johnson said the legislature is diluting the vote of Black voters.
“I urge this body to reject this bill today to return to the work Hoosiers expect of us,” Johnson said.
Pryor said House Bill 1032 will allow for a new map that is “a gerrymander bill on steroids.” Gerrymandering is when the party in charge drafts maps in its favor.
“It shouldn’t see the light of day. We shouldn’t be here discussing this,” Pryor said.
Smaltz said Monday’s House session wasn’t the time to debate the bill but assign it to committee.
“I’m absolutely convinced that we will hear those very same passionate arguments at the appropriate time in committee, on seconds and on thirds. But that is not today,” Smaltz said.
The House voted 19-67 to reject the bill.