From: Cate Hyatt
Columbus
On Nov. 21, representatives of Bartholomew County Indivisible attended Organization Day at the Indiana Statehouse. We joined hundreds of fellow Hoosiers to call for major reform of our gerrymandered election districts.
Later we gathered with Common Cause to hear several prominent Republicans express their own support for reform:
- Former Lt. Gov. John Mutz.
- State Rep. Sue Scholer, West Lafayette.
- Leigh Morris, former LaPorte mayor and LaPorte County Republican Party chairman.
- Coleen Fanning, Marion County Council member who recently voted for a victorious reform resolution.
- Christie Hurst, representative of Enterprise Republicans.
- Martha Lampkin of Women 4Change.
As Morris stated, “Gerrymandering cheats the voter and undermines the effectiveness of government; it benefits the party over the electorate.”
We join these and other Republicans in asking Speaker of the House Brian Bosma to make redistricting reform a top priority in this short legislative session.
We were also able to meet with state Rep. Milo Smith, R-Columbus, to ask for his support of redistricting reform. We plan to sustain our efforts throughout the upcoming session as he is key to moving this legislation forward. So far he is not willing to support changes and seems unconvinced legislation can be passed this year.
But momentum is growing across the state. Redistricting forums like the one held recently by Bartholomew County Indivisible are being held in support of reform.
Organization Day was a successful kickoff for this legislative year. We’re off to a good start, and we’re in this for the long haul. Won’t you join us for a more fair and representative government for all Hoosiers?
