ANDERSON, Ind. — The re-drawing of the city of Anderson Common Council districts, already two years overdue, is going to take even longer.
On a 7-2 vote Tuesday night, council members decided to hire an outside consultant to assist with re-shaping district boundaries.
That did not sit well with 4th District Councilman Ollie Dixon.
“They’re trying to eliminate Black folks having a seat at the table,” Dixon said.
Dixon is referring to Common Cause Indiana, Anderson-Madison County NAACP, the Indiana League of Women Voters and others that filed a federal lawsuit in June 2023.
The suit alleged Anderson’s six council districts are malapportioned, or out of balance.
Research by Common Cause found Dixon’s 4th district had 7,827 people, while the neighboring 3rd District had 10,916. The difference, or deviation, is 33.8%. Generally, courts have allowed deviations of 10% or less.
Redistricting is required by Indiana and federal law. Census data provides guidance on how legislative boundaries are crafted. When the original deadline approached in December 2022, the council voted not to act.
“They need to recognize that redistricting is not optional. They shouldn’t have to be forced by a federal court to do so, but this is where we’re at,” explained Julia Vaughn, executive director of Common Cause Indiana.
In September, Federal Judge James Sweeney II agreed with the plaintiffs and ordered the council to re-draw the districts.
Dixon insists his district must be spared from the process. The 4th District is the only one where minorities make up a majority of the population.
During the contentious special meeting, Dixon railed against the plaintiffs that brought the lawsuit saying they were “turning on the Black community.”
There were some informal negotiations between legal teams after the judge’s order was issued. The result was newly drawn districts with a deviation of just about 9%.
That did not satisfy Dixon.
“Are we suggesting we’re going to fold without a fight?” Dixon asked.
Instead, County President Lancer Stephenson offered a compromise, suggesting the council hire a consultant that Dixon and the rest of the council could work with to shape their own district map. Dixon was one of just two votes against the idea.
Reached by phone, Vaughn said Common Cause and the other plaintiffs are losing patience waiting for council members to obey the federal court order.
The Anderson Council Members also have a state deadline they are facing. The Indiana General Assembly gave the council an extension to craft new districts. That ends in June 2025. Failure to put a new map together would find the council in violation of state law.
