To the editor:
As state leaders of voter rights organizations committed to civic engagement, the Indiana State Conference of the NAACP and the Indiana League of Women Voters encourage all citizens to attend one of the regional meetings announced recently by the Indiana General Assembly, inviting public feedback on Indiana’s redistricting process:
Senate Elections Committee:
Friday, Aug. 6, 10 a.m. Ivy Tech, 815 E. 60th St., Anderson, 46013
Friday, Aug. 6, 4 p.m. Ivy Tech, 4475 Central Ave., Columbus, 47203
Saturday, Aug. 7, 10 a.m., Ivy Tech, 3501 N. First Ave., Evansville, 47710
Saturday, Aug. 7, 4 p.m. Ivy Tech, 8204 County Road 311, Sellersburg, 47172
House Elections Committee:
Friday, Aug. 6, 10 a.m. Ivy Tech, 3101 S. Creasy Lane, Lafayette, 47905
Friday, Aug. 6, 4 p.m. Ivy Tech, 3100 Ivy Tech Lane, Valparaiso, 46383
Saturday, Aug. 7, 10 a.m., Ivy Tech, 3800 Anthony Blvd., Fort Wayne, 46805
Saturday, Aug. 7 4 p.m. Ivy Tech, 22531 County Road 18, Goshen, 46528
Joint Hearing of the House and Senate Elections Committee:
Wednesday, Aug. 11, 1 p.m., Indiana Statehouse, House Chambers, 200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, 46204
Based on our experience, if the goal is to make these meetings work for both legislators and citizens, we suggest legislators consider the following:
Alternative arrangements for citizens to provide testimony if they lack transportation to a meeting or work during the hours when meetings are scheduled, by allowing them to provide feedback by email, postal mail or recorded testimony.
Provisions for non-native English speakers to provide testimony.
We call for legislators to be transparent and accountable to citizens during this fall’s redistricting process. Holding these meetings is a good first step. Redistricting only occurs every 10 years. Once districts are redrawn, they remain in effect for the next 10 years ― a long time for citizens who feel district maps were drawn unfairly.
Redistricting should be multi-partisan, transparent, and use criteria important to voters, such as protecting communities with common interests. In the absence of a multi-partisan commission, one way to inspire confidence in the process is through transparency.
How?
Let citizens know how their testimony will be used in the redistricting process. Tell them which criteria legislators are planning to use to redraw voting districts and who the mapping experts and consultants will be. Share steps that will be taken to ensure fairness, give real consideration to citizen-drawn maps, and provide adequate time for citizens to review maps before they are final.
This April, legislators overwhelmingly approved House Bill 1384 requiring that standards for civic education be taught to students, suggesting that most legislators believe young citizens need to become better informed about our government. Given this perspective, why not use the redistricting process as an opportunity for both young and old to participate fully in the process, thus witnessing democracy in action?
We are a representative democracy, and the vote is its centerpiece. We urge legislators to commit to a transparent redistricting process that offers voters not only a chance to provide input, but encourages use of public mapping tools. Let the public see how districts are drawn. Be transparent about criteria legislators use, and empower citizens to review and compare maps before approval.
Good government takes planning. COVID caused a delay in the census that has given most states additional time for redistricting. Commit to using this time for civic engagement, because if legislators believe this is important for our children, they must also believe this is true for our adults.
Hoosiers deserve a redistricting process that is fair, transparent and accountable to citizens. Legislators should show us that this is their goal, too.
Barbara Bolling-Williams, president, Indiana State Conference of the NAACP, and Linda Hanson, co-president, Indiana League of Women Voters (submitted by Shari Frank, president, League of Women Voters Brown County)
