What makes a good district? Amid a national conversation on redistricting and gerrymandering, it can be a little difficult to parse out what makes good congressional districts.
Laura Merrifield Wilson is an associate professor of political science at the University of Indianapolis. She said it can sometimes get lost that districts were originally intended to ensure accurate representation of their communities.
“The goal of having districts is that you’re creating a collection of communities where people generally have the same experience, same idea, same background, right?” Wilson said. “So that they are represented by a representative that illustrates who they are.”
Gerrymandered maps can seem kind of obvious. Districts that snake around cities or split up rural communities to benefit a single party. And the technology to do so has only gotten easier.
Wilson said good districts illustrate who those communities are.
“I think, broadly, we want to see a collection of communities that doesn’t seem like a hodge-podge mix where you’re going to have people with different backgrounds, different interests, different values, et cetera,” Wilson said.
And she said those districts shouldn’t have a default outcome.
“Really good districts should be competitive, in terms of partisanship,” Wilson said. “That you have, give or take, a 50-50 breakdown of Republicans and Democrats voting in that district.”
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Wilson said everyone loses when districts are cobbled together with too wide a range of communities. The communities lose out on representatives who actually represent them. And the politicians have a much harder job when there is too wide a variety of needs.
If Indiana legislators decide to redraw the state’s congressional maps, Wilson said voters can and should reach out to their representatives at the Statehouse and the governor.
“I hope that everybody — regardless of whether or not your district is going to be changed — is paying attention to this,” Wilson said. “And certainly that they remember: they can have their voices heard.”
Gov. Mike Braun has floated the idea of a November special session for redistricting. Legislative leadership has, so far, remained silent.
Lauren is our digital editor. Contact her at lauren@ipbnews.org or follow her on Bluesky at @laurenechapman.bsky.social.