The Indiana state Senate voted against mid-decade redistricting Dec. 11 by a 31-19 vote. In all, 21 Republicans joined the Senate’s 10 Democrats in voting against the measure.
The mid-decade redistricting was strongly supported by President Donald Trump, who publicly pressured the General Assembly to hold a vote after the Indiana Senate Republicans said they didn’t have enough support. The redistricting measure cleared the House by a 57-41 vote last week.
Here’s how senators in the Bloomington and south central Indiana region voted.
District 40 (Bloomington) Sen. Shelli Yoder: Nay
Sen. Shelli Yoder, a Democrat whose district mostly covers Bloomington, was strongly opposed to redistricting. She spoke against the redistricting effort on the floor on Wednesday. Yoder said the effort was widely unpopular with her constituents in her district and surrounding areas.
“Years from today, when Hoosiers look back on this vote, they won’t remember the speeches, they won’t remember the procedures, they will remember we stood with them,” Yoder said. “Today, I will be voting no. Not in protest, but in promise to them.”
District 44 (Bedford and Nashville) Sen. Eric Koch: Yea
Sen. Eric Koch, a Republican whose district includes towns like Nashville, Bedford, Seymour and Mitchell, joined 18 other Republicans in voting in favor of the bill.
District 39 (Bloomfield) Sen. Eric Bassler: Nay
Sen. Eric Bassler, a Republican whose district includes Bloomfield, Washington and Vincennes, joined 20 other Republicans and 10 Democrats in voting against the redistricting measure.
District 37 (Martinsville) Sen. Rodric Bray: Nay
Sen. Rodric Bray, a Republican whose district includes Martinsville, parts of Gosport and Spencer, joined 20 other Republicans and 10 Democrats in voting against redistricting.
District 41 (Columbus) Sen. Greg Walker: Nay
Sen. Greg Walker, a Republican whose district includes Columbus and Franklin, joined with the majority in voting against redistricting.
Walker is one of several Republicans who said he was threatened as a result of his opposition to redistricting.
“I refuse to be intimidated. I made a choice,” Walker said of the threats on Monday, Dec. 8. “I will not let Indiana or any state become subject to the threat of political violence in order to influence legislative product.”
Here’s how every Indiana state senator voted on Dec. 11.
Reach Brian Rosenzweig at brian@heraldt.com. Follow him on X/Twitter at @brianwritesnews.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Here’s how Bloomington-area senators voted on Indiana redistricting
Reporting by Brian Rosenzweig, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
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