Senate elections panel advances mid-decade redistricting bill after marathon public testimony

The Senate Committee on Elections voted to advance House Bill 10-32 on a 6-3 roll call after nearly four hours of public testimony that drew both sustained opposition and vocal support from communities across Indiana.

Chairman Mike Gaskell, who presented the bill as the Senate sponsor, said the proposal would authorize the General Assembly to amend congressional districts outside the decennial timetable and sets out timing, definitions and a new set of district descriptions. "All committee hearings in both houses of the Indiana General Assembly are open to the public to attend," Gaskell said in opening remarks as he outlined the bill and the hearing process.

Opponents argued the mid-decade redraw would undercut the principle of "one person, one vote," fracture communities of interest and expose the state to expensive litigation. "The right to vote is one of the most sacred civil liberties we hold as Americans," Samantha Bresnahan, senior policy specialist for the ACLU of Indiana,…