As Indiana lawmakers head to Washington, D.C., today for a White House meeting on multiple issues including redistricting, a new statewide poll shows most Hoosiers don’t want to see the state’s congressional maps redrawn mid-decade.
The survey of 1,662 registered voters, conducted Aug. 18–21 by left-leaning Change Research, found that just 34% of respondents initially supported redrawing maps this year, while 52% opposed the idea — of those, 43% said they were “very opposed.”
After reviewing arguments for and against the move, sometimes called push polling, support among survey respondents dropped further to 29%, with opposition climbing to 60%.
“Hoosiers play fair. When D.C. outsiders change the rules in the middle of the game, it makes it clear the system is rigged and discourages participation,” said Jalyn Radziminski, founder and president of Count US IN, which commissioned the poll. “This poll makes it clear that Hoosiers don’t want outsiders meddling with our maps. They want lawmakers to address the issues that affect us: high cost of living, spiraling energy prices and property taxes.”
Count US IN aims to increase political participation — particularly of minorities and marginalized communities — by encouraging voter turnout, educating citizens on voting rights and protections and combating voter suppression, according to its website.
About 60% of respondents rated inflation among their top three priorities, according to the poll. Only 7% of survey takers said redrawing legislative maps was a top priority.
Indiana officials face mounting pressure from the White House and national Republican operatives to consider a special session for new, early maps. Supporters maintain the effort could strengthen the GOP’s congressional majority ahead of the 2026 midterms — part of a broader national strategy to lock in more favorable districts in Republican-controlled states.
Critics, however, argue that a mid-decade redraw would disenfranchise other voters — and set a precedent that political parties can redistrict whenever it’s politically convenient. A rally against early redistricting, organized by Common Cause Indiana, is scheduled for Tuesday evening at the Indiana Statehouse.
Of the anti-redistricting arguments presented in the poll, the one that Hoosier survey respondents found “most convincing” contends that legislators “should spend less time on redistricting, and more on making life better for Indiana’s residents.” Overall, 84% of survey takers found that argument convincing.
Three in four respondents were additionally “strongly resistant” to out-of-state politicians “meddling in our state politics or telling us what to do.”
About 45% of respondents said they would be less likely to vote for legislators who supported a mid-decade redraw, compared to just 23% who said they would be more likely.
“Hoosiers see this outsider push as a solution in search of a problem,” Radziminski said. “Our local communities fought tirelessly to ensure their voices were heard when these maps were drawn four years ago. The only people who will benefit from redrawing them now are political puppeteers who live 600 miles away.”
Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com.
