A political science expert who spoke with 13News said just because lawmakers are finally going to consider redistricting, doesn’t mean it’s a foregone conclusion.
INDIANAPOLIS — Over the next two weeks, Hoosiers will likely find out how lawmakers want to change Indiana’s congressional map.
For the past several weeks, Senate President Pro Tempore Rod Bray has said the votes weren’t there in his caucus to support redistricting.
In the next few weeks, the public will find out if that still holds true.
A political science expert who spoke with 13News Friday said just because lawmakers are finally going to consider midcycle redistricting, doesn’t mean it’s a foregone conclusion.
This week’s announcement from the House and Senate that they will take up redistricting over the next two weeks may keep the conversation going, but it doesn’t mean midcycle redistricting in Indiana is a sure thing.
That’s the position of IU political science professor Paul Helmke.
“If Bray is right that he doesn’t have the support for it before, he’s not going to have the support for it on Dec. 8,” Helmke said. “I don’t think, unless these pressure campaigns change, somebody and I’m sure there are a few there that can still be pressured, so that’s why people are putting that pressure on.”
In the past few days, Hoosiers have been receiving texts urging support for President Donald Trump’s redistricting plan in Indiana.
On the other side, a new 30-second ad out Wednesday from Indiana Conservation Voters features Hoosiers saying why they’re against redistricting.
The nonpartisan voting rights advocacy group has been against midcycle redistricting the entire time. Its latest ad showcases people who the organization says are Hoosier Republicans who feel the same way.
“I want Republicans to win, but midcycle redistricting is not the right way to do it. It’s a waste of taxpayer dollars and it gives D.C. more power to tell us what to do,” the ad shows voters saying.
“We’re just trying to make it clear that this isn’t where Hoosiers are on the issues. Hoosiers want our legislators to focus on the things that impact their everyday lives,” Megan Robertson with the advocacy group said.
“A lot is going to depend on what the specific House map looks like,” Helmke said.
So far, though, any proposed map hasn’t been made public.
Helmke said whatever’s going to happen, needs to happen soon, because filing deadlines for candidates are just around the corner.
“If they’re going to change things, they’ve got to get them passed by both houses, signed by the governor and to the county clerks in time for people to know which district they live in. So people know who can run and who can’t run,” Helmke explained, saying even if both chambers do pass a new map, that’s not where it will likely end.
“As soon as the maps are official, there are changes made and they’re approved by the governor, there will be a lawsuit filed within an hour,” Helmke said.