A federal judge has ruled that the Anderson, Indiana City Council’s failure to draw fair council maps violates the U.S. Constitution, and fair maps must be drawn.

Before Monday’s ruling, the council had not redistricted for more than 4 decades, since 1982. Common Cause Indiana, the League of Women Voters Indiana, and the Anderson– Madison County branch of the NAACP sued in June 2023 to force the city to draw fair maps.

The ruling awarded summary judgment to the plaintiffs and struck down districts with significant differences in population far beyond what is allowed under the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause. The Anderson City Council last redistricted its voting map in 1982 and ignored population changes identified in the 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020 decennial census counts. 

“The Anderson City Council’s blatant disregard for the United States Constitution has denied its residents the right to equal representation since Ronald Reagan was president and E.T. was the top movie in America. This obvious effort to protect incumbents is ridiculous and undemocratic. Updating districts to reflect new census population counts empowers the people to effectively advocate and ensures equal representation of communities. We are thrilled that the court ruled in our favor and finally extended that essential right to the people of Anderson,” said Common Cause Indiana Executive Director Julia Vaughn.

“Redistricting is crucial to guaranteeing that our communities get the essential services and support they need from our government. When elected officials fail to redistrict properly, residents are stripped of equal representation. This decision is a welcome step forward to restore voters’ constitutional rights to fair representation on their city council,” said Linda Hanson, president of the League of Women Voters of Indiana. 

Common Cause Indiana was joined in this lawsuit by co-plaintiffs Anderson-Madison County NAACP Branch 3058, the League of Women Voters of Indiana, and Anderson residents Cassandra Riggs and Jeffrey J. Cottrell. The court’s order will now require the city council to draw a new voting map using 2020 census data. The next election in which Anderson City Council seats will be contested takes place in 2027.