Editor’s Note: This story was originally published in the November 7, 2025 issue of Indiana Legislative Insight.

We now have some additional clarity about the special session for redistricting and tax compliance thanks to the supermajority legislative leaders . . . and everyone can enjoy their Thanksgiving (unless you are an undecided Republican senator – and we don’t mean undecided on the tax bill no one has yet seen – in which case you might want to silence your cell phone for the next three weeks). As we suggested could be the case back in September, despite the Governor’s call for the special session to commence November 3, the topics of that call (and perhaps more) will effectively be rolled into the 2026 regular session. The regular session formally commences on Organization Day, Tuesday, November 18. The supermajority leaders “have determined that the General Assembly will address any time sensitive issues during the first two weeks of December (Dec. 1 through Dec. 12),” explains House Speaker Todd Huston (R).

This schedule will result in the meeting days in December becoming part of the 2026 regular session, with Speaker Huston observing that “starting the regular session early would be the most cost effective and efficient way to address the Governor’s call for a special session. Our goal is to avoid any added session-related costs, and we will continue to look for ways to save taxpayer dollars as we work through and finalize the schedule.” The cost issue was what was emphasized by Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R) as the key element in the schedule dynamics in his corresponding statement. The redistricting skeptic explains that “Adjusting the 2026 legislative calendar is what makes the most sense when we consider member schedules, the logistics of legislative action and – most importantly – the costs to the taxpayer.” Sen. Bray – who was universally praised for standing his ground on redistricting and a special session by Johnson County Republicans who spoke with him individually at a late October party event – adds, “Making this shift allows the legislature to consider the topics presented to us in a thoughtful way without burdening Hoosier taxpayers with the cost of a special session.”

Unspoken: such a schedule would also effectively require an earlier exit, always a good thing among the rank and file . . . and next spring, in particular, a late February or early March sine die date would resonate well with voters (and allow incumbents an early start on campaigning in tough primary races) – unless they flunked Property Tax Tweaking 101.

“I want to thank Senator Bray and Speaker Huston for announcing the legislature will convene on December 1, and happy to see they have committed to complete their work on the time sensitive issues of altering Indiana’s congressional boundaries to ensure Hoosiers have fair representation in Washington and conforming Indiana’s tax code to ensure stability and certainty as Hoosiers begin filing returns in January,” responded Governor Mike Braun (R) on social media. Recall, of course, that Governor Braun had pushed for an earlier resolution, telling reporters October 21 that he considered “mid- to late November” as the deadline for new maps given all the moving parts and upcoming election deadlines . . . so you might add this to the growing list of what might be labeled as legislative dissing of the Governor on key issues.

Look for a full calendar on Organization Day, and it will include committee meetings. Of course, all of this presupposes that the votes are there in the Senate, and that continues to be in question. While some senators succumbed to what we hear was intense pressure – one was subjected to several calls at home during the last full weekend of October threatening a Trump endorsement of a primary opponent who would be fully funded, among other tactics – others still held out and have not taken a side. One notable walking Switzerland was Sen. Greg Goode (R) of Terre Haute – importantly, a member of the Senate Committee on Elections & Reapportionment – who hosted a constituents-only “listening session” at Terre Haute City Hall November 1, staying as long as it took to hear individually from some 75 district residents. Even as Turning Point Action invested in digital ads seeking to turn out pro-redistricting voices at the event, the Indianapolis Star’s Kayla Dwyer assembled a tally of the sentiment expressed: 71 people spoke out against redistricting, while none spoke in favor in the event, which lasted several hours. The event even drew a lengthy article in the New York Times. On Sunday, Sen. Goode posted this on X: “Thanks to all who took time from their weekend to join me yesterday at Terre Haute City Hall for our listening session. The feedback was powerful & respectfully given. I am honored to represent Indiana Senate District 38 and will continue to make myself accessible to the people.” He says that he will keep his powder dry on his ultimate decision until it is time to vote.

What was the ultimate impact of the Goode event? Probably greater than what it might have meant to Sen. Goode himself; this (and the national mid-term election results) could be an inflection point of sorts, offering an off-ramp for those who thought the tide was turning toward new maps. Colleagues learned that, with the proper ground rules, they can get serious – if impassioned – input on an important and divisive issue from their own constituents without outside influences (or influencers), and learn more about what the (educated and engaged) grassroots might believe or want them to consider in a decision. Here, in particular, we understand that it opened some eyes of some to the fact that there may be a more supportive environment Back Home for remap opponents than they might have expected, perhaps giving those on the fence a bit more confidence to stand up to D.C. forces. Kansas legislative Republicans this week abandoned their own redistricting plans.

As lawmakers ponder the implications of the Goode listening session (legislative Democrats have been hosting their own sessions, but with closed minds), Indiana Conservation Voters Thursday released findings from a new statewide poll on mid-decade redistricting. Conducted by Christine Matthews and her Bellwether Research (you may recall her as the Daniels Administration preferred pollster), the survey (10/29-30, 11/01; 800 RVs; NWI oversample; 51% phone, 49% text to online; 49% R, 35% D, 16% I; margin of error ± 3.5 percentage points) shows “Hoosiers are unhappy with the state’s direction and want leaders focused on lowering costs and improving their lives, not on politically motivated redistricting.”

Bellwether’s important finding: a majority of Hoosiers polled oppose the special session redistricting push, with 50% opposing the Governor’s call for a special session to redraw maps, and 51% opposing legislators redrawing maps this year. Of particular interest: 63% of all voters are following the news about redistricting closely (29% very closely and 34% fairly closely vs. 23% not too closely and 14% not at all closely). Republicans are mixed on how they see legislators who oppose redistricting, with 38% believing that “Republican legislators who oppose redistricting are standing up for fairness and keeping politics out of drawing the maps,” 37% saying “Republican legislators who oppose redistricting are betraying President Trump and helping Democrats keep power,” and 26% of GOP respondents are unsure. The opposition is motivated on this issue; those most likely to base their vote on the issue of redistricting are against it. When asked, “If your state legislator voted in the special session to redraw the congressional maps, how would you feel about it?”

– 43% say “I would disapprove and be less likely to vote for them.”

– 27% say “I would approve and be more likely to vote for them.”

– 12% say “I probably wouldn’t pay much attention either way.”

– 6% say “I would disapprove but it wouldn’t change my vote.”

– 12% are unsure

Bellwether conducted 224 additional interviews in Lake County and Porter County in CD 01 to examine separately since The Region would be directly impacted if mid-decade redistricting were to move forward. Key findings include that by a more than a 25-point margin, voters in this region are opposed to legislators redrawing the state’s congressional maps now. Lake County voters are opposed by a 59% – 32% margin, and Porter County voters are opposed by a 52% – 24% margin. Almost one-half (47%) of voters in the two counties say they would disapprove if their state legislator voted to for new maps and would be less likely to vote for them, compared to 23% who would approve and be more likely to vote for them.

Meanwhile, if you check in with social media, you’ll find rumors that if the votes are not there in the Senate, leadership may simply opt to gavel in and gavel back out, avoiding having to put members on the record, while not burning always-precious session days.

One wild card: while the public and parties seem to be getting more engaged now that the mid-term elections in other states are past and California is on the path to designing new Democratic districts, one group that has become particularly more vocal about its opposition is the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus. IBLC hosted a Monday State House rally against new maps, and its chair, Rep. Earl Harris, Jr. (D) detailed the issues of everyday importance to Hoosiers, vowing to “prioritize Hoosiers over political games.” Less charitable was House Democratic Floor Leader Cherrish Pryor (D), who is a member of the House Committee on Elections (two of the four Democrats on the panel are IBLC members). She was not pleased that the supermajority leadership made the December scheduling announcement “[w]hile the IBLC was holding a rally against redistricting.” Then she got angry. “It is mighty convenient that the dates announced overlap with the dates that some Black legislators were scheduled to be at the National Black Caucus of State Legislators’ (NBCSL) annual conference. Many of us had made arrangements to attend the conference, some over a month ago. It is telling that the announcement for session was made during the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus rally and scheduled during the NBCSL conference,” Rep Pryor complains. “I will cancel those arrangements to be here to fight against this partisan power grab that is targeting minority voters in two congressional districts. The two districts that Republicans seek to annihilate with these new maps are also the two most diverse areas of the state. Getting rid of congressional representation for Marion County and Lake County is an explicit attempt to silence minority voices,” she adds. Then Rep. Pryor makes an interesting observation: “in the statement released about these dates, leadership did not confirm whether or not they would be addressing redistricting. Hoosiers have made it clear that they do not want new congressional maps, they want an affordable Indiana. So far, our pressure has been working. I hope that we use this session to address the real ‘time sensitive issues’ of utility bills, rent, property taxes, healthcare, child care costs and the overall cost of living.”

There are still lots of moving pieces that need to be locked into place for new maps – foremost among them, 26 senators who will approve them, and what those maps might look like (we cautioned you that once the details were out, votes might change). Right now we’re hearing that Indianapolis will be split into four districts from the current two, CD 01 will look longitudinal, CD 02 more latitudinal (likely reaching west through Porter County), and you could see a “community of interest” that includes both Geist Reservoir and the Ohio River. We mentioned the new Turning Point effort, while Indiana Conservation Voters and allied groups are turning up the heat on their media effort, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana joined the fray this week with an electronic “wrap” of the online Indianapolis Star (“TELL INDIANA LAWMAKERS: NO EARLY REDISTRICTING,” the Star’s landing page screamed. “Tell Indiana lawmakers: no unfair maps We, the voters, should choose our elected officials, not the other way around. Take Action Calling this special session to draw new maps for partisan gain – with voters of color bearing the brunt – in the middle of a cycle is not business as usual. It is a transparent power grab that puts politicians’ self-interest before voters and our communities. Take action now! Tell Indiana lawmakers: no unfair maps” read the click through. Also this week, U.S. Rep. André Carson (D) dipped into his official office account to fund television spots featuring him speaking out against mid-decade D.C.-directed redistricting. “It’s about Hoosier voices,” the congressman contends. “Your voice deserves to be heard.”

There is also talk of unrelated measures being introduced (harder to control if this is truly not a “special session”), and some of the items being rumored could be germane even as amendments. Among the possibilities: legislation that would remove nominations for lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, state comptroller, and attorney general from convention, and force them into the primary election setting (yes, this cuts against Republican conversations over the past few years about moving nominations for governor and U.S. senator into convention, but . . . ), and expedited property tax tweaks that would allow for some relief on 2025-pay-26 tax bills that will be due within a week of the May primary, with the SEA 1-2025 “reforms” not scheduled to offer true savings until the paty-2027 bills. After all, Fall Installment property tax bills are due Monday, so this issue will be uppermost in the minds of taxpayers through the week . . .

 The law of unintended consequences may also find itself work against Indiana in 2027. U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan (D) is the principal target in the cartological challenge (rigging thew current CD 07 was always the secondary objective), and Rep. Mrvan serves on the House Committee on Appropriations. From 1977 – 1982, again from 1991 – 2020, and now since January 2025, Indiana has enjoyed representation on this panel, with seniority earning Indiana three different subcommittee chairs over the years. If Democrats manage to take control of the House in 2026 but Rep. Mrvan is defeated, Indiana would lose a majority (and perhaps any) seat on the key funding panel, something that the Governor and state budget drafters would find disconcerting . . . and on election night, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) had this to day: “An awful lot of people want us to consider redistricting and I have to say we’re watching what Indiana does. You know, we’ve been looking at pairing with different states because if they’re – we don’t think that this is a good idea. Redistricting across the country, not a good idea.”

 Hard to find a bottom line in all of this given the ongoing uncertainty, and uncertainty is the bane of leadership.