Another Take on Indiana's Proposed Redistricting

Gerard N. Magliocca

The Senate in my home state of Indiana will take up redistricting next week. I don't know how that vote will go, though I do know that if the new map is passed, there will be litigation raising state constitutional objections. But here are some pragmatic thoughts on this given that I live here.

One way to think about drawing district lines is that certain cities or entities within a state will fare better if they have only one Representative in Congress. Then that person will give more attention to the needs of that place and be more responsive. Since time immemorial, Purdue University has been able to turn to one Representative from its district to lobby for federal funds, address issues related to higher education, and so on. This was critical, for example, in getting Purdue involved in the Apollo missions.

Under the new proposed map, though, Purdue will be split into two congressional districts. There will be no longer be a Representative responsible for the University's interests. This will hurt the community in which I live, which is why our GOP state senator is opposed to the proposed map.

The same is true for Indianapolis, which is where I used to live. The core of the city has always had a single Representative. And like many big cities, Indy has particular concerns or needs with respect to federal programs. Under the new map, though, the City will be divided into four districts. This will hurt that community by making effective lobbying for its interests far more difficult. This is why the last GOP Mayor of Indy is opposed to the new plan.

Next, the proposed map would make the state's entire congressional delegation (House and Senate) Republican. That's great right now, but what if a Democrat wins the White House next time? Then we would have no effective representative to that Administration. In at at-large state like Delaware, this problem cannot always be avoided. But there is some local political logic in drawing state districts to ensure at least some representation for both parties when that is feasible. 

All of this is to say that the proposed map helps the national party and hurts state and local interests. This is one reason why Mitch Daniels, our former GOP Governor and former President of Purdue, is opposed to redistricting mid-cycle. We'll see if the State Senate wants to shoot us in the foot.