Indiana state legislature 4 results

As communities become more politically polarized, their citizens have to cope with ever more extreme policies. IU political science scholar Marjorie Hershey says polarization tends to make each party “less diverse internally and more different from the views and social characteristics of the other party.” Above, a vendor sells T-shirts in Milwaukee during the Republican National Convention in July. | Photo by Jeremy Hogan/The Bloomingtonian

Political Polarization Hurts Communities — What Can Be Done? Deep Dive: WFHB & Limestone Post Investigate Political Polarization

Marjorie Hershey, Jeremy Hogan/The Bloomingtonian

As communities become more Democratic or Republican, their citizens have to cope with ever more left-wing or right-wing policies. As political science scholar Marjorie Hershey writes, polarization tends to make each party “less diverse internally and more different from the views and social characteristics of the other party.” What can be done about it? Click here for a Deep Dive into political polarization.

January 22, 2025

During legislative sessions at the Indiana Statehouse (above), any member of the Indiana House of Representatives or Indiana Senate can sponsor a bill. While a bill in either chamber must pass through a series of gatekeepers before becoming law, conflicts of interest among the lawmakers are usually not considered. | Limestone Post

Conflicts of Interest Continued During Indiana’s 2023 Legislative Session

Enrique Sáenz

This is the second article in a two-part series on lax ethics rules in the Indiana State Legislature. Both articles come from a joint investigation between the Indiana Environmental Reporter and the Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism that shows how some Indiana lawmakers stood to benefit financially from environmental legislation they introduced or supported. Click here for the article.

September 7, 2023

Sponsorship

By means of partisan gerrymandering, the Indiana legislature has violated the democratic principle of one person, one vote, says retired Indiana University Professor Emeritus Jim Allison. Proportional representation, he says, would help to give Hoosiers “free and fair” elections, as required by the state constitution. | Photo of the Indiana Statehouse via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0; the original uploader was Jasont82 at English Wikipedia.

Indiana Legislature Violates Principle of ‘Free and Equal’ Elections

Jim Allison

Retired IU Professor Emeritus Jim Allison shows how the Indiana legislature, by means of partisan gerrymandering, has violated the democratic principle of one person, one vote. Proportional representation, he says, would help to give Hoosiers “free and fair” elections, as required by the state constitution. This article is part of Limestone Post’s coverage for Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative. Click here to read more.

September 14, 2022

Mississippi State Sen. Joseph Thomas, D-Yazoo City, holds a copy of the proposed congressional redistricting map during debate over redistricting at the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, January 12, 2022. | AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

How Redistricting Congressional Districts Can Undermine Majority Rule

Marjorie Hershey

“In a democracy, voters choose their political leaders. In a democracy that permits gerrymandering … elected leaders choose their voters.” Marjorie Hershey, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Indiana University, wrote this in an article for “The Conversation,” an independent news organization. She has updated the article for Limestone Post. Click here to read her article on redistricting.