Indiana Conservation Voters' advocacy was critical in defeating Trump's redistricting push.
Credit: Indiana Conservation Voters
Trump and his cronies in Congress keep raising costs, and voters are fed up. Trump’s approval ratings have hit new lows, especially when it comes to his handling of the economy. With so many angry voters, Trump and his allies know their chances of winning fair elections in November’s midterms are falling fast. Desperate to remain in power, they have launched a slew of attacks on our democracy. Enter: voter suppression and partisan redistricting.
To avoid facing the will of voters, Trump and his Republican allies have tried to restrict who can vote through the so-called SAVE Act. And, they have launched a partisan redistricting push to put more Republicans in Congress regardless of what the voters want. Thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais that ruled states can redraw congressional districts to cut out the voices of Black voters and other voters of color, the situation is about to get much worse. Several states are already rushing to redistrict and suppress minority voters.
Last August, Vice President JD Vance traveled to Indiana. His goal was to pressure legislators to redraw the state’s congressional maps to create more safe Republican districts.
Megan Robertson, Executive Director of Indiana Conservation Voters
Despite opposition from Indiana Republicans, Governor Mike Braun (R) called for a special session of the state Senate. However, Senate leadership announced they would not meet because they did not have the votes to pass a redistricting bill. After this announcement, Trump took to Truth Social to call out legislators who opposed the bill.
The vicious online attacks had an immediate effect. Hours after they were posted, lawmakers named in the posts were the target of violent threats. Following those incidents (and a call with Trump), Governor Braun doubled down on his commitment to the redistricting push.
But Indiana Conservation Voters and local partners weren’t going to go down without a fight. They worked tirelessly to sound the alarm on Trump’s interference in the state government. And they won.
Despite pressure from the Trump administration, the Indiana legislature held firm and rejected the bill by a vote of 31-19. This victory in the fight against Trump’s attacks on free and fair elections provides a roadmap for other states to stand up and push back to protect our democracy.
Trump’s attacks were shut down in huge part because of the leadership of Indiana Conservation Voters (ICV). ICV ran a highly visible statewide campaign to defeat the gerrymandering bill. Alongside other local partners, ICV met Hoosiers where they are. This included showing up in their communities and running ads during football games. Here’s a breakdown of ICV’s successful campaign to defeat Trump’s attacks on Indiana’s elections.
Indiana Conservation Voters ran a huge grassroots campaign to fight Trump’s partisan gerrymandering efforts. They rallied thousands of people to contact their legislators and urge them to push back against Trump. Highlights include:
20,000 petition signatures delivered to the legislature with all 92 counties represented.
2000+ cumulative attendees at rallies and hearings.
27,535 phone calls made to Governor Braun and state legislators.
27,652 emails sent to Governor Braun and state legislators.
580 handwritten letters sent to lawmakers. These letters were written at 5 events held in key communities across the state.
ICV also invested heavily in a media campaign to get their message out to voters.
$595,000 invested in TV, digital, radio, mail and streaming, including $100k for TV ads during major football games.
101 articles written mentioning ICV. This includes 63 articles quoting ICV Executive Director Megan Robertson.
These contributions were vital in defeating this bill. They also provide a great example for other states fighting their own redistricting measures in Republican-held states.
Indiana Conservation Voters successfully defeated Trump’s redistricting push in their state. But the administration’s attacks on free and fair elections didn’t stop at Indiana. Redistricting fights are taking place in states across the country.
In the last several months, MAGA Justices on the Supreme Court recently issued two decisions clearing the path for racially discriminatory gerrymandering.
Following these decisions, several states launched efforts to redraw their maps to create more safe Republican districts and diminish minority voices.
Redistricting is just one example of Trump’s attacks on our democracy.
Trump and his allies in Congress and on the Supreme Court are still pushing to suppress voters across the country, particularly in communities that are already underrepresented, including low-income voters, voters of color, and rural voters.
For their part, Congress has attempted to pass bills like the SAVE Act and the so-called Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act. Both of these bills would make it harder for millions of eligible voters to cast their ballot. And, Trump has issued executive orders seeking to ban mail-in ballots and enact voter suppression measures. He has also attacked the post office in an attempt to invalidate mail-in ballots.
Trump and MAGA Republicans in Congress won’t back down from their efforts to destroy our democracy. However, recent victories in Indiana and South Carolina are proof that we can fight back and win, even in deep red states. To ensure every eligible voter’s voice is heard, we must keep fighting against the Trump administration’s attacks on our democracy.
Some things you can do right now to protect free and fair elections across the country are:
May 14, 2026
May 11, 2026
Apr 28, 2026
Mar 25, 2026
©2026 League of Conservation Voters