INDIANAPOLIS- Senate Elections Committee Ranking Minority Member Senator JD Ford (D-Indianapolis), and Minority Member Senator Fady Qaddoura (D-Indianapolis), released the following statement prior to the first Senate Elections Committee redistricting meeting:

“Redistricting plays a huge role in how communities across Indiana are represented in Congress and the General Assembly. In recent years we have seen extreme legislation coming out of the Statehouse, in part due to our maps being more biased towards Republicans than 95% of maps across the country. While I look forward to hearing from Hoosiers across the state over the next couple of days, I am troubled that Hoosiers will not have this opportunity to comment after the maps are released,” said Senator Ford. “I encourage the Republicans to hold a separate round of hearings after they draw their maps so constituents can see if they were heard. Without a second round of hearings, Hoosiers don’t have a chance to hold their legislators accountable.”

“I firmly believe that voters should pick their representatives, not politicians picking their voters. This is why I offered SB 283 during this year’s legislative session to create a nonpartisan redistricting commission to draw our maps,” said Senator Qaddoura. “Throughout the 2021 session, I advocated not only for protecting voting rights but also for ensuring the integrity of our redistricting process. Redistricting should not be a partisan issue, especially given the impact partisan gerrymandering has on our democracy and the quality of life for all Hoosiers.”