Redistricting bill advances to a vote in the House with a lone Republican opposed

The bill to redistrict Indiana mid-decade easily passed the House elections committee Dec. 2 despite hours of testimony in opposition.

Eight Republicans voted yes, while four Democrats and a lone Republican, Rep. Tim Yocum of Clinton, voted no.

Much of the nearly six-hour hearing centered on whether the proposed map constitutes racial gerrymandering. Democratic lawmakers and some speakers pointed out how the carving of Indianapolis into four districts dilutes the power of the Black vote. Marion County has the state's largest concentration of Black voters .