1. United States
2. Ind.
3. Letter

Governor Braun, Your recent statement claiming that Indiana must call a special session to prevent “Democrats’ gerrymandering” is misleading and disrespectful to Hoosiers who expect honesty from their leaders. Indiana’s legislative and congressional maps were already redrawn in 2021 after the Census and updated again in 2023 for precinct adjustments. There is no legal, demographic, or procedural reason to redraw them mid-cycle. Suggesting otherwise is simply not truthful. What this looks like—and what many Hoosiers see—is a deliberate political maneuver. Across multiple Republican-led states, we’re watching the same pattern: push early redistricting ahead of the 2026 elections to shield incumbents from voter backlash. Calling this “protecting Hoosiers’ voices” while rushing through a partisan redesign of our electoral boundaries is an insult to the intelligence of the people you serve. If this were genuinely about fairness, you would not be forcing the process into a special session with limited time and limited public input. You would be calling for open hearings, independent oversight, and transparent criteria. California put redistricting in the hands of voters. Other states follow clear processes. Indiana deserves the same—not a hurried rewrite under the guise of “representation.” Your assertion that Hoosiers’ voices will be “diluted” is especially disingenuous when Democrats control none of Indiana’s branches of government. There is no Democratic gerrymandering happening here. The only dilution occurring is the weakening of Hoosiers’ trust as they watch state leadership manipulate the rules in real time. Hoosiers have already said we do not want new maps right now. The responsible action is simple: cancel this special session and commit to making any future redistricting part of the normal decennial, census-based process. Real leadership means respecting the will of the governed—not using procedural power to pre-empt electoral consequences.