With a press conference on Monday, 30 November 2020, the All IN 4 Democracy Coalition launched a campaign to provide Indiana citizens a redistricting process that will be transparent and serve the public interest rather than the interests of politicians.
We are seeking applicants for The Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC) See application page
The Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC) will demonstrate how the redistricting process in Indiana should be conducted. The ICRC will show that a politically balanced group of citizens working transparently and in cooperation with citizens can devise districts that will serve the public interest, not the interests of politicians.
The ICRC will hold a series of virtual public meetings in January and February of 2021 to take public testimony on what redistricting criteria should guide the map-drawing process. The criteria will be published and a report sent to the members of the Indiana General Assembly (IGA) charged with redistricting responsibilities.
The ICRC will also sponsor a map-drawing competition and serve as the judges for that competition. The map-drawing website will be public so that any Hoosier may access the data to draw their own districts. The maps that best fulfill the criteria established through the public testimony will be awarded cash prizes and be submitted to the IGA.
All IN for Democracy coalition members--that includes the League--will lobby the legislature to adopt the citizen-drawn maps rather than the partisan-drawn maps that will be produced by the incumbent politicians. Our goal is to force the IGA to choose between maps drawn in a transparent manner by a politically balanced group of citizens or the maps drawn in secret by politicians who want to preserve their power. The choice should be clear--but that will take public awareness and pressure in addition to the ICRC report and maps.
The League's role in this campaign is essential
As a founding member of the Coalition and with two key members on the ICRC planning task force, the League will provide support and crucial groundwork with the public in communities across the state. Please help to identify applicants for the ICRC either in your community or through your extended contacts.
Indiana Leagues have been laying groundwork over the last decade, since the current redistricting maps were approved by the legislature using 2010 census data. Our redoubled efforts in the next few months to achieve Fair Maps focuses on opportunities for citizen education about the links between voter suppression, gerrymandering, and redistricting reform. Fair Maps Grants available to every local IN League support local programming, particularly the recommended documentary-discussion series featuring Uncivil War, Suppressed, and Line in the Street. Contact your League leadership to schedule these documentaries and local discussion in the next two months.
More about the Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission:
Structure
The ICRC will be composed of nine members: three Republicans, three Democrats and three members who are neither Republican nor Democrat. Once selected, the members will select a chairperson who must not be affiliated with either of the major political parties. The ICRC will begin its work in early January 2021. We do not know what effect COVID-19 or the potential for delayed data from the U.S. Census Bureau may have on the time or work of the ICRC. More information will be provided by All IN for Democracy as we get it.
A small stipend of $500 will be provided to ICRC members at the end of the project.
Conflicts of Interest that Prohibit Certain Applicants
The ICRC seeks to create a redistricting process that is independent from legislative influence. Elected officials, lobbyists, people who work for elected officials and large campaign contributors would all be ineligible under the Commission rules, which are based on redistricting reform legislation introduced by Senator John Ruckelshaus in 2020.