Screenshot from the Indiana Senate Elections Committee hearing Monday at the Indiana Statehouse.
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Senate Election Committee has started hearing public input on a bill that would redraw the state’s congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
A total of 127 people signed up to speak in favor or against the proposed map, which cleared the House last week in a 57-41 vote.
The nine-member committee may vote today to decided whether send the bill — or an amended version — to the Senate floor for consideration. Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, a vocal opponent of early redistricting, is ranking member of the committee.
The full Senate is expected to convene Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.
Redistricting is a process that is normally done once a decade after the census. However, Trump and his allies have pressured Republican states — including Indiana — to redraw their congressional maps to help preserve the GOP’s narrow national majority in Congress. Republicans currently hold seven of Indiana’s nine seats.
The proposed map would place all of Bartholomew County within Indiana’s 6th Congressional District, eliminating the current split between the 6th and 9th districts the county. A total of 5,964 registered Bartholomew County voters currently reside in the 9th District, according to the Bartholomew County Clerk’s Office.
The issue of early redistricting has divided state lawmakers representing parts of Bartholomew County.
Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, and Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, voted in favor of the proposed map last week, while Rep. Jennifer Meltzer, R-Shelbyville, was one of 12 Republicans who voted against it.
Walker has opposed early redistricting and has said “my opinion will not change.”
