Indiana state legislature 3 results

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

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

Sponsorship

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.