Vice President JD Vance and Governor Mike Braun recently met in Northwest Indiana, sparking renewed concern over mid-decade redistricting efforts. “It is unacceptable to redraw congressional maps just to gain political power and undermine voting rights,” said Indiana State Representative Earl Harris, Jr., Vice Chair of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus.
As Vice President JD Vance visits Indiana to promote a controversial mid-decade redistricting initiative, one of the state’s leading advocates for fair representation is urging him to prioritize the real issues affecting Hoosiers—issues she says the Trump administration has ignored or made worse, including the critical issue of voting rights.
Julia Vaughn, executive director of Common Cause Indiana, issued a pointed statement Wednesday, August 13, criticizing the visit and warning of deeper challenges facing Indiana residents.
“Vice President Vance should spend his time in Indiana today listening to the real problems Hoosiers face – broken promises on lowering prices, a shaky economy, and the effects of major federal and state budget cuts,” Vaughn said. “That is what Hoosiers are focused on right now.”
The visit comes as Indiana remains one of the most gerrymandered states in the nation. Critics argue that pushing mid-decade gerrymandering measures—redrawing political boundaries outside of the standard post-Census cycle—will further distort representation, concentrating power in the hands of a few and diluting the voices of minority and working-class communities.
Since taking office under the Trump administration, Vance has joined the president in endorsing policies that have led to sweeping federal budget cuts. Programs previously supporting public housing, Medicaid expansion, SNAP food assistance, and public education have seen significant reductions or elimination, disproportionately affecting low-income families, seniors, and rural communities across Indiana.
“The Trump Administration has recognized that their harmful policies to benefit wealthy elites at the expense of working families are wildly unpopular,” U.S. Representative Frank Mrvan said in a statement. “They know that their only hope to maintain control is to pressure the Indiana General Assembly to violate the Indiana Constitution and redistrict U.S. House of Representative seats mid-decade.”
According to 2024 data from the Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute, more than 23% of Black Hoosiers (approximately 274,000 individuals) and 18% of Latino residents (about 132,000 people) live below the poverty line, compared to just 11% of white residents (roughly 541,000 individuals). Based on U.S. Census estimates, Indiana’s total population is approximately 6.85 million, with non-Hispanic whites making up about 76% of the state’s residents. While poverty rates are significantly higher among Black and Latino communities, the sheer size of the white population means that more white Hoosiers are living in poverty than all other racial and ethnic groups combined. With budget cuts expected to deepen after the 2026 elections—particularly if Republicans maintain control of Congress—the economic outlook for these communities remains uncertain.
Health care access is also a major concern. While Indiana had benefited from parts of the Affordable Care Act, ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to dismantle what remains of the ACA have increased instability. Hoosiers in counties with rural hospitals—many of which serve as the only medical facilities for miles—face rising closure risks as Medicaid reimbursement rates shrink and provider shortages grow.
In education, the effects are just as stark. Federal funding for Title I schools and college readiness programs has dropped, forcing school districts with large minority populations to stretch dwindling resources. At the same time, the administration has proposed expanding school vouchers and privatization, diverting public funds away from already-struggling public school systems.
“Indiana families are dealing with serious challenges—affording groceries, paying for medications, sending their kids to decent schools, and having access to health care,” said Vaughn. “That’s what Vice President Vance should be focused on, not schemes to redraw maps for political gain.”
Common Cause Indiana has been on the front lines of the fight for fair maps. In 2024, the organization secured a landmark legal victory against the city of Anderson, where city council district lines hadn’t been updated in decades. The court ruling forced Anderson to draw fairer, more representative boundaries.
Now, the organization is pushing for local independent redistricting commissions in cities like Valparaiso, West Lafayette, and Michigan City, aimed at removing partisan influence from the process altogether.
Gerrymandering in Indiana has long been cited as a reason for low voter turnout and political disengagement. In the 2022 midterm elections, Indiana ranked among the bottom 10 states for voter turnout, with only 41% of eligible voters casting a ballot, according to the U.S. Elections Project. Experts attribute the decline in part to voters feeling like their votes don’t matter in districts where outcomes are predetermined by the way maps are drawn.
“These maps are drawn to protect incumbents, not communities,” Vaughn added.
Despite widespread support among voters for nonpartisan redistricting, the Indiana legislature has rejected several proposals to create an independent redistricting commission. Republicans currently hold a supermajority in both legislative chambers—a political advantage cemented through current district maps, drawn in 2021 and criticized for packing or cracking communities of color and Democratic voters.
Political analysts warn that allowing another round of redistricting mid-decade—especially under the guise of “rebalancing” or “adjusting” boundaries—would only further entrench political power and worsen existing disparities in representation and resource allocation.
The effects of this kind of political manipulation are likely to extend far beyond elections. Federal infrastructure dollars, transportation access, public health resources, and environmental protections are all subject to political prioritization. When districts are drawn to minimize certain populations, those areas often get left behind.
For Black Hoosiers and other marginalized communities, the consequences of gerrymandering are clear: underfunded schools, poor transit options, over-policing, and weakened political voices.
As Vice President Vance continues his tour through Indiana, Common Cause Indiana and its allies hope voters will take a closer look at who benefits from redistricting efforts—and who continues to be left out.
“It’s reprehensible to call in the Indiana General Assembly for a special session on redistricting when the communities I represent believe their time would be better spent to discuss initiatives that restore state funds for our local police departments. I am proud of the millions of dollars of federal funds that I have secured for Northwest Indiana public safety agencies, and we should build on that progress at the state level.” Mrvan said.