Election official warns redistricting will cause chaos
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If Indiana approves new congressional maps, it will cost at least $1 million to make the necessary changes ahead of the 2026 primary, Marion County's chief election officer says.
Why it matters: Marion County Clerk Kate Sweeney Bell told lawmakers considering House Bill 1032 that, aside from breaking election office budgets, there isn't enough time to ensure the more than 600,000 registered voters in the state's largest county get correct ballots.
- Candidate filing for the May primary opens Jan. 7.
What she's saying: "Under normal circumstances, the General Assembly passes congressional maps approximately 12 to 13 months before the primary election that utilizes those maps," Sweeney Bell said. "Here, that would have to be done in a third of the time. And this isn't exactly normal redistricting either, where congressional lines remain relatively similar."
State of play: The proposed map would split Marion County's two districts into four, dividing townships and even precincts.
- "If it passes, there will be chaos," Sweeney Bell said, adding that $1 million is a conservative estimate and not one her office has budgeted for.
The other side: Redistricting proponents say a new map that would give Republicans an advantage, potentially delivering two more GOP seats in Congress, is necessary to balance political gerrymandering of Democrats.
- A fiscal note prepared by the Legislative Services Agency estimates that the state's Election Division can accomplish redistricting with existing resources, but it doesn't estimate any local costs.
- State Sen. Mike Gaskill (R-Pendleton), the bill's Senate sponsor, said he was told that LSA believes local election offices can handle the bill's changes with existing staff.
Between the lines: An amendment that would have reimbursed local offices for the costs of complying with HB 1032 was defeated Monday during the Senate's Elections Committee, which passed the bill 6-3.
How it works: If new maps were adopted, the Election Division would update the statewide voter registration system with the new congressional districts.
- Then, Sweeney Bell said, county officials would go into that system and reassign voters to the correct districts.
- They would have to run reports to confirm that voters were reassigned correctly, fix any errors, and then rerun those reports until every voter was assigned correctly, Sweeney Bell said.
- They would then send out new voter registration acknowledgment forms for every reassigned voter.
- County election boards would also have to prepare extra ballot styles, modify poll worker training, and update public-facing information online.
"It would put a great deal of stress on the election system," Sweeney Bell said. "That pushes away poll workers, causes longer lines at polling locations, frustrates voters, and ultimately sows distrust in the process."
What's next: The Senate will consider HB 1032 for amendments Wednesday afternoon and take a final vote Thursday.