After months of partisan standoff, public outcry and pressure from the White House, the Indiana House of Representatives voted 57-41 on Friday to pass House Bill 1032, a congressional map that could reshape the state’s political landscape for decades.
Frustration and discontent echoed through the Indiana Statehouse as hundreds of Hoosiers crowded outside the House chamber — booing lawmakers, waving signs, and demanding Republicans abandon an early redistricting plan. Chants of “Just say no!” and “Shame on you!” ricocheted through the marble halls as some protesters brandished signs that read “Beware the one-party state” and “Let Hoosier voters choose.”
Among those gathered was Robbie Williams, an 85-year-old who stood quietly in opposition to the early redistricting. “They didn’t have the votes,” she said, adding that she believes President Donald Trump forced state lawmakers to push for early redistricting. “I hope the people will prevail.”
The proposal marks the latest turn in a months-long power struggle that has repeatedly pulled Gary and Northwest Indiana into the center of the state’s congressional lines. Republicans, encouraged by national party leaders and Trump, have sought a map that would pad their congressional majority and potentially flip the 1st and 7th Districts, the state’s lone Democratic-held seats. The two districts are represented by U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan of Northwest Indiana and U.S. Rep. André Carson of Indianapolis, the state’s lone Black member of Congress.
In the months leading up to Monday’s session, elected officials speculated about the geographic changes to District 1 in Northwest Indiana and District 7 in Marion County. The proposed map shows large expansions of both districts into more rural areas.
District 1 currently contains the entirety of Lake and Porter Counties, along with a portion of LaPorte County.
The new map would group Lake County Chicagoland voters with those in rural counties like Pulaski, Starke, Marshall, Fulton, and Wabash, which Democratic lawmakers said could affect all districts.
State Rep. Blake Johnson, D-Indianapolis, stressed that Republican voters in updated districts would also be disadvantaged, as their voting interests could be in conflict with voters in their own districts.
“Under this plan, rural voters in Switzerland County on the Ohio River could be represented by someone living near Mass Avenue,” Johnson said. “Farm families in Clay and Owen counties could find themselves in a district dominated by the priorities of downtown Indianapolis Republicans.”
Johnson added: “What does a small-town teacher in Franklin County have in common with someone who looks out their window and sees Lucas Oil Stadium? None, absolutely none.”
Beyond the map, HB 1032 makes several structural changes to how Indiana handles redistricting and election disputes. The bill allows precincts to cross congressional district lines for the 2026 elections, declares the new map effective immediately, and directs the Indiana Election Division to help counties implement the changes.
It also reworks the legal challenge process by banning temporary restraining orders in redistricting disputes, giving the Indiana Supreme Court exclusive authority over appeals, and automatically staying lower-court rulings during appeal.
Procedural dispute takes place in chamber
Inside the House Chamber, a procedural battle was being waged in which the minority accused the majority of violating House rule 2.3, which requires the speaker to consult with the minority leader before changing the House’s reconvening date. Several Democratic members were noticeably absent from the attendance vote as Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) argued that GOP leaders pushed ahead without following that process.
“I would invite the members of the majority to open the statute book and open the rule book and look at what we’re talking about,” DeLaney said. “I don’t want you to take my word for it. I want you to read it, and if you don’t read it, I want you to explain to your constituents why you voted to hold a rushed session.”
Republicans rejected that claim.
State Rep. Ben Smaltz, R-Auburn, author of the redistricting bill HB 1032, said the House acted within Indiana law.
Smaltz said the House can choose its meeting dates after Organization Day, which was held Nov. 26 of this year.
“So it clearly is allowed,” Smaltz said, referring to the session’s start. “It is of the rules that I value deeply. It is of Indiana code, and we are behaving properly as we should.”
While Monday’s arguments were not directly about the substance of the bill, state Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond, made her thoughts on it clear.
“I’m standing here because what I’ve been told is my voice and the voice of all our caucus members don’t matter,” Jackson said. “Somebody in Washington wants to have nine congressional districts, because seven just isn’t enough.”
During an Elections Committee meeting Tuesday, Democrats pressed Smaltz on whether the map had been drawn along racial lines. Smaltz rejected that claim but acknowledged the political motive.
“These maps were drawn to secure a political advantage. They were politically gerrymandered, if you’d like to say that,” Smaltz responded.
State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, president of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus and whose district also includes parts of Gary, said the proposal would move the state backward.
“For months now, we in the IBLC have been speaking out about the dangers of mid-decade redistricting,” he said. “If passed, these new maps will weaken our democracy and silence the voices of countless Hoosiers. We’ve also been calling on the Republican supermajority to address the issues that are facing Hoosiers: an egregious cost of living, rising utility rates, and a lack of access to child care, just to name a few.”
The bill is expected to be taken up by the Senate on Dec. 8, where it is expected to face additional Republican opposition.
*An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that House Bill 1032 passed the House on Tuesday.
This story has been updated.
