1. United States
2. Ind.
3. Letter

I am writing to you today as a concerned Hoosier who believes our elected leaders should always act in the best interests of the people of our state. It is in that spirit that I urge you to use your collective leadership to reject the deeply concerning proposal to redraw Indiana's electoral maps in a special session. This issue is bigger than any single political party. It is about the fundamental principle of accountability. When politicians are allowed to engineer their own districts, they sever the sacred link between a representative and the people they serve. It creates "safe" seats, where our leaders no longer have to earn our votes or listen to the wide range of voices in their communities. As leaders in a state built on enterprise and common sense, you know that healthy competition drives excellence. This proposal does the opposite; it creates a political monopoly that breeds complacency and dysfunction. Please consider the practical consequences of this path: • It leads to more political gridlock, not the practical solutions our economy and small businesses need. When districts are uncompetitive, the only threat is a primary challenge, pushing representatives to the extremes and destroying the common ground needed for good governance. • It means the real-world concerns of our families—from healthcare costs to the quality of our schools—get ignored in favor of partisan warfare. • It takes the diverse voices of our state—from our farming towns to our growing cities—and carves them up to guarantee a political outcome, silencing true debate and depressing voter turnout. This feels like a D.C. power game, not an Indiana solution. As former Governor Mitch Daniels reminded us all, the job of government is to tackle the major challenges facing our families, not to get bogged down in performative political games. This proposed special session is a costly distraction from the real work we elected you to do. Governor Braun recently defended our current maps as fair. We ask you to stand by that conviction. By the Governor's own words, the only reason to redraw these maps now would be as a raw political power grab to "oust current elected officials." We urge our legislative leaders to reject such a move and for the Governor to stand by his own sound judgment. You are in a unique position to show the country what true Hoosier leadership looks like. I urge you to stand for the principle that our government must answer to the people. Please reject this proposal and reaffirm that in Indiana, voters will choose their politicians—not the other way around. Thank you for your time and your consideration of this crucial matter.