Indiana will move forward with a special legislative session to address midcensus redistricting amid pressure from President Donald Trump, but the measure faces pushback from Hoosiers and a reported lack of votes in the Indiana Senate.
Gov. Mike Braun has called for a special legislative session to “consider altering the boundaries of Indiana’s congressional districts” and federal and state tax compliance beginning Nov. 3, according to a news release.
“I am calling a special legislative session to protect Hoosiers from efforts in other states that seek to diminish their voice in Washington and ensure their representation in Congress is fair. I am also asking the legislature to conform Indiana’s tax code with new federal tax provisions to ensure stability and certainty for taxpayers and tax preparers for 2026 filings,” Braun said in the release.
Under Indiana law, a special session can’t last more than 30 session days or 40 calendar days. As of Nov. 3, legislators can choose what day to start the special session within those parameters.
For example, when former Gov. Eric Holcomb called a special session in July 2022 to address abortion, following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, his order to start the special session was July 6 but the legislature met July 25.
Last week, a spokeswoman for President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray told Politico that “the votes aren’t there for redistricting.” The spokeswoman told the Post-Tribune Monday that “the votes still aren’t there for redistricting.”
A majority of people across three political parties — Republicans, Democrats and independents — oppose mid-decade redistricting, a national survey commissioned by Common Cause found.
Noble Predictive Insights, commissioned by Common Cause, conducted a national poll surveying more than 2,000 registered voters nationally and about 500 registered voters in California, Florida, Illinois, New York and Texas between Aug. 26 to Sept. 2, according to a release.
The poll found that 84% of U.S. registered voters say the way voting district boundaries are drawn is important to the overall health of democracy.
Common Cause Indiana Executive Director Julia Vaughn said Indiana voters were included in the national voter portion of the poll. While Indiana wasn’t included in the bonus states, due to its size, Vaughn said the poll reflects Hoosiers’ opinion on mid-census redistricting and gerrymandering, or when a political party draws congressional lines in favor of its party.
“People understand that this is a power grab, so they see it as illegitimate. They don’t want it to happen. I would certainly hope that Indiana lawmakers, as they contemplate a special session, that they keep these polling numbers in mind,” Vaughn said.
An early October poll conducted by North Star Opinion Research, on behalf of Independent Indiana, showed that 53% of Indiana registered voters don’t support the move, compared to 34% in favor.
President Donald Trump and national Republicans have been pressuring red states to change their congressional maps before the 2026 election to increase Republican control of the U.S. House.
In August, Texas lawmakers approved redistricted maps to include five new districts that would favor Republicans. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed off on the new maps, but a lawsuit has been filed against Abbott and the Secretary of State for the maps.
In California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved a special election to take place in November for residents to vote on a redrawn congressional map designed to help Democrats win five more House seats next year.
Meanwhile, Trump has pushed other Republican-controlled states, including Indiana and Missouri, to also revise their maps to add more winnable Republican seats. Ohio Republicans have also started the process of partisan redistricting.
Vice President JD Vance came to Indianapolis in early August to talk to Republican leadership about redistricting. More than 55 Republican state legislators went to the White House on Aug. 27 to talk about redistricting, and then Vance came back to Indianapolis on Oct. 10 to discuss redistricting.
It is unusual for redistricting to take place in the middle of the decade and typically occurs once at the beginning of each decade to coincide with the census.
Indiana was last redistricted in 2021, which left Congressional Republicans with seven seats and Democrats two seats. The two Democratic seats are the first district, held by U.S. Rep Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, and the seventh district, held by U.S. Rep. André Carson, D-Indianapolis.
Mrvan issued a statement Monday calling Braun’s decision to call a special session for redistricting “unsurprising.”
“The only thing more unpopular in Indiana than redistricting is the Governor himself. His attempt to silence the very voters he represents is yet another example of how out of touch he is with the people of our great state,” Mrvan said in the statement.
As the state legislature considers new maps, Mrvan said he will continue to work for Hoosiers in Washington.
“If the General Assembly moves forward with this partisan plan, I will continue to be a fighter for fairness, working with Republicans and Democrats alike, to defend the voices of working families. I believe that representation should be earned through ideas and services, not political manipulation,” Mrvan said.
State Sen. Rodney Pol Jr. and State Rep. Randy Novak held a town hall meeting Saturday about redistricting attended by about 35 people. In Indiana, Pol said, the legislature leads redistricting, and it uses census data to redraw the maps every 10 years.
While no proposed maps have been released, Pol referenced a map that circulated online that would split Porter County between the first and second congressional districts. The map has upset many residents, regardless of party, because it splits a community of interest, Pol said..
Across the state, Pol said he’s heard from Hoosiers that they are upset with mid-census redistricting because it could potentially change their representative in Congress, and many people have established contact with their representative.
“A lot of people don’t feel very comfortable with it, and for good reason,” Pol, D-Chesterton, said.
A special session will likely last two weeks, Pol said, as the maps would likely go through committees, then get full votes before the House and Senate.
Holding a special session to address redistricting would cost tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money a day, Novak said. When the legislature held a special session in 2022, during which the legislature passed a near-total abortion ban, it cost the taxpayers $240,000, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
“There’s a lot of threats and a lot of pressure being put on members to deliver this to the president,” Novak, D-Michigan City, said.
Pol said he’s against mid-census redistricting, even if it gave Democrats two extra seats in Congress, because it goes against the process. As a Democrat in the statehouse, Pol said he’s often told that “elections have consequences” when he proposes legislation and amendments, which he said translates to if more Democrats were elected then his policies would advance.
“We don’t do this because somebody out there says, ‘I want more,’” Pol said. “This is essentially, to me, ensuring that elections don’t have consequences.”
A question was raised during the town hall if Indiana Democrats could leave the state, the way Texas Democrats did in August, to delay or stop redistricting. Pol said that given Indiana’s supermajority in the statehouse, Republicans have enough members to vote on legislation without input from Democrats.
“If we left the state, they would say, ‘We don’t need you.’ Now, you just don’t have a voice. If you opposed it, you don’t even get to say why you opposed it,” Pol said.
Another question was asked about how former Governor Mitch Daniels’ editorial against redistricting could impact Republican legislators as they address the matter. Novak said he hopes Republican Senators read the editorial and reflect on it.
“It gives these Senators who are on the fence support to go, ‘If Mitch can do it, we can do it,’” Novak said.
State Sen. Dan Dernulc said Monday he hadn’t yet made a decision on how he would vote on redistricting.
“I want to see everything before making a decision,” Dernulc, R-Highland said.
State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, said Monday the Senate will caucus Tuesday, so he didn’t want to comment until then. State Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a statement Monday, Pol said the decision to call a special session about redistricting “is nothing short of an attempt by those in power to silence voters, eliminate opposition and cement partisan control.”
“Drawing new maps five years early just to flip two seats that were fairly representative of their districts is wrong,” Pol said. “Hoosiers deserve fair representation, not backroom deals designed to protect political power.”
State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, said ever since Trump has started pressuring Republicans across the country to redraw Congressional maps, Hoosiers have made it clear they don’t want new maps.
“Indiana residents deserve fair and balanced representation in Congress. When the maps were redrawn in 2021, as required by the Constitution, our Republican colleagues repeatedly assured us that they were fair. So why the sudden change now? It’s not because constituents demanded it – it’s because President Trump and Vice President JD Vance successfully pressured them into submission,” Harris said.
Harris, the chair of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus, said Hoosiers need higher wages, affordable health care, accessible child care and housing as well as lower utility costs instead of new congressional maps.
“This isn’t just disappointing, it’s an embarrassment to our state. There are plenty of problems Hoosiers face every day that we could be addressing in a special session. Instead, our governor and Republican supermajority are wasting time – and your tax dollars – to bow down to President Trump. This is not only shameful, it’s an embarrassment to our great state,” Harris said.
State Rep. Mike Andrade, D-Munster, said Hoosiers oppose redistricting, yet Braun called a special session to address congressional maps.
“Now, it’s up to the General Assembly to stand tall, stand strong and stand fair with Hoosiers against this pressure. I will continue to fight for my district and ensure our neighbor’s voices are heard,” Andrade said.
State Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond, said she wasn’t pleased with the decision to hold a special session concerning redistricting, but it didn’t surprise her either. With Vance visiting Indianapolis twice, Jackson said it was clear Indiana Republicans have been under pressure to redistrict.
Since it’s been reported that the votes to redistrict aren’t there, Jackson said it’s likely the majority of the special session will be spent pressuring legislators who oppose the measure or are unsure to vote yes.
“I hope they say this is not what we want. I hope and pray they will listen,” Jackson said of Republican lawmakers.
House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta said after Trump administration officials have bullied state leadership, it appears the state government is owned by Washington D.C. instead of Hoosiers.
“If Gov. Braun and Statehouse Republicans were listening to Hoosiers, the majority of whom oppose mid-decade redistricting, we wouldn’t be going into a special session. We wouldn’t be wasting taxpayer dollars to redraw maps the House Republicans drew four years ago and described as ‘beautiful’ and ‘perfect’,” GiaQuinta said.
GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, said Hoosiers should call or email their legislators to share their views on redistricting.
“The House and Senate still can lead with courage and common sense by rejecting the governor’s call,” GiaQuinta said. “There are massive problems in Indiana that demand leadership and action from the statehouse, like property taxes, utility bills and health care costs. Our congressional districts are not one of them.”
State Rep. Kyle Miller, D-Fort Wayne, said since Vance’s visits he’s received messages against new maps. Miller said he’s also received calls from Hoosiers about lower health care costs, more access to affordable child care.
“We could be addressing these issues in a special session to make life better for Hoosiers. Instead, Indiana Republicans are wasting your tax dollars on a special session to appease the federal government,” Miller said.
State Sen. La Keisha Jackson, D-Indianapolis, said the decision to call a special session to address redistricting “is nothing more than a blatant political power grab.” When the legislature redrew congressional maps after the 2020 census, the maps were meant to last a decade, she said.
“There is no constitutional, moral or practical justification for changing them now. Redrawing districts five years early for political gain sets a dangerous precedent that could destabilize our democratic process for years to come,” Jackson said.