Concerns over voting rights and affordability were top of mind among voters and lawmakers at Indiana’s Black Legislative Caucus’s first 2026 town hall event. Its statewide, seven-event tour launched Saturday in Indianapolis.
The series aims to inform voters about work done last legislative session and plans for the 2027 session.
In the kickoff discussion, lawmakers focused on the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a case involving Louisiana’s 2024 redistricting efforts.
Experts say that the ruling is a major blow to the Voting Rights Act and could mean less Black representation in Congress.
Caucus Chair Rep. Earl Harris (D-East Chicago) said voters should act now if they are concerned about losing representation in Congress and at the statehouse.
“Reach out to representatives and senators now, tell them, if you're thinking about doing this, if you're thinking about moving us backward in time, you should not,” Harris told WFYI. “We're the people that vote you in the office, we can vote you out.”
In the town hall, voters also raised concerns about affordability. Many noted high housing, healthcare and childcare costs.
In the 2027 legislative session, lawmakers will tackle the state’s next two-year budget. Rep. Greg Porter (D-Indianapolis) says those in the Black caucus are prepared to fight for more early childhood education, Medicaid and SNAP funding.
“You will hear people say that we don’t have money,” Porter said during the town hall. “That’s a lie.”
Some of the caucus members also celebrated recent legislative wins this year, such as requiring investigations into alleged failures by the Department of Child Services to protect children and quicker access to lifesaving prescriptions for cancer patients.
Sen. Andrea Hunley (D-Indianapolis) also noted the increase in democrats running for seats across the state, saying that for the first time in over 50 years, there is a candidate running for all of the 25 Senate seats on the ballot this November.
Sen. Greg Taylor (D-Indianapolis) says he believes this upcoming election is likely the most important of his lifetime, citing concerns about losing minority representation following the Supreme Court decision that impacts the Voting Rights Act and the potential for a second aim at Congressional redistricting in Indiana.
“We are setting ourselves back over 60 years, and if this doesn't wake up a community who might have been asleep before, I don't know what will,” Taylor told WFYI. “We don't need to wait until we see people getting sprayed by water hoses, and we have the ability right now to change the trajectory of states like Indiana, and this is the year to do it.”
Upcoming dates for Indiana Black Legislative Caucus Town Halls
- June 13: Spring Hill EnVision Center, 1423 Bates-Bowyer Ave., Jeffersonville, noon-2 p.m. ET
- June 27: Earlham College, 801 National Road West., Richmond, noon-2 p.m. E.T.
- July 11: Allen County Public Library Room AB, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, noon-2 p.m. E.T.
- August 8: EVPL Central Library Browning Room, 200 SE MLK Jr. Blvd., Evansville, 11 a.m. -1 p.m. C.T.
- August 15: Terre Haute City Hall Courtroom, 17 Harding Ave., Terre Haute, noon-2 p.m. E.T.
- August 29: UAW Local 5, 1426 Main St., South Bend, noon-2 p.m. E.T.
- September 12: Hammond Sportsplex & Community Center, 6630 Indianapolis Blvd., Hammond, 11 a.m. -1 p.m. C.T.
Contact Government Reporter Caroline Beck at cbeck@wfyi.org.
