Indiana Republicans prioritize Illinois voters over Hoosiers
Indiana families are working harder than ever, yet wages remain stagnant. Our health care remains amongst the most dire in the country. Affordable housing is increasingly out of reach for working Hoosiers. These are the challenges that should be front and center for our state legislature.
Instead, Indiana's Statehouse Republicans have spent a better part of this legislative session focused on the people of Illinois.
You read that right. Instead of addressing the needs of Hoosiers, Republican leaders are pushing an unprecedented effort to redraw state borders and annex Illinois counties that voted to secede. This isn't a joke — it's a real legislative priority for them. And it does absolutely nothing to help struggling families in our state.
Hicks: Why are we lowering Indiana's one really low tax?
Adding to the absurdity, this entire effort is being justified by a ballot initiative in Illinois — where voters got a say in their own future. Yet, in Indiana, Statehouse Republicans refuse to give Hoosiers that same power. Our state is one of the few where citizens can't put issues on the ballot, no matter how much public support they have. Instead of working to give Hoosiers a real voice in their government, Indiana Republicans are bending over backwards to listen to the needs of Illinois voters.
Where is that same urgency for the Hoosiers who are struggling to get by? Where is the commitment to ensuring our own residents feel represented, heard and supported?
While Republicans are standing up for Illinois, they are abandoning Hoosiers. They are cutting investments in public health, driving up costs for everyone. They are gutting bills to regulate medical preauthorization safeguards, meaning Hoosier health care will continue to be delayed or denied. They are waging a full-scale attack on public schools, paving the way for complete privatization at the expense of students, teachers and families.
This is not about economic development or improving Indiana's quality of life. It's about consolidating political power. Indiana's Statehouse Republicans have already gerrymandered our state beyond recognition — rigging maps to keep themselves in control year after year. Now, they are reaching beyond our borders, cherry-picking voters in a does-nothing-for-Hoosiers political land grab.
Meanwhile, actual Hoosiers — Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike — are ignored and left behind.
And make no mistake — Hoosier taxpayers will foot the bill. A recent analysis from Ball State economist Michael Hicks found that if these Illinois counties were their own state, they would be the second-poorest in the nation.
The residents that Indiana Republicans want to absorb currently pay less than $3,000 in taxes per year while requiring over $5,000 in government support. If this annexation were to happen, Indiana's per capita income ranking would immediately drop three spots nationally and Hoosiers would be forced to pay an additional $2 billion in taxes to subsidize the costs.
That's right — while hardworking Hoosiers struggle to make ends meet, Indiana Statehouse Republicans are proposing a plan that would increase taxes on Indiana families to bankroll services for residents of another state.
Hicks: Free Indianapolis from state laws and watch it grow
This isn't about party politics. Every Hoosier, no matter their political beliefs, should expect their state government to focus on real issues — jobs, schools and health care — not partisan gimmicks that drain resources and shift attention away from what truly matters.
At a time when families across Indiana need real leadership, Indiana Statehouse Republicans have chosen to spend their time on an ill-conceived power grab. This has nothing to do with improving lives. It has everything to do with maintaining control.
Hoosiers — regardless of political party — deserve a government that works for them. They deserve leaders who will put aside political games and focus on what truly matters — good jobs, affordable health care and strong public schools, not those who continue to pursue this legislative malpractice.
This is not about Democrats versus Republicans. It's about making sure Indiana families can thrive. We urge our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to join us in setting aside distractions and working together on real bipartisan solutions that will improve the lives of all Hoosiers. Because at the end of the day, we are not just representatives of a party — we are representatives of the people.
Hoosiers are counting on us to get this right. Let's focus on them.
State Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, is the Senate minority leader.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Illinois secession bill shows Indiana GOP ignores its voters | Opinion
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