Voters in Indiana House District 33 will choose between two candidates this November to represent them in the Indiana House of Representatives. The district includes all of Blackford and Randolph counties, and portions of Jay, Delaware and Henry counties. It includes the cities of Albany, Dunkirk and Portland.
There are 100 members of the Indiana House of Representatives. Their job is to work alongside the governor and the Indiana State Senate to create laws and set the state budget. Their seats go up for election every two years, and in Indiana there is no limit on the number of terms a representative can serve.
WFYI opened an ongoing voter survey in May, and the most common voting issues were data center policy, affordability, and feeling disempowered.
WFYI contacted each campaign and sent a survey based on voter questions — it asked candidates for their top priorities and their positions on civic health, data centers and affordability. For candidates who did not respond, information was gathered from websites and social media for a "Top priorities" note. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.
John E. Bartlett
Personal information provided by candidate.
Party: Democrat
Website: bartlettforindiana.org
Age: 55
Occupation: IT Service Team Leader
Residence: Hartford City
Top donors (via Transparency USA):
- AFT Indiana PAC
- ActBlue Indiana
- Eric Rogers
- Lynn Sousa
- Matthew Erickson
Bartlett accepted WFYI's invitation to take a survey. WFYI fact checked statements about publicly available data.
If elected, what are your top policy priorities?
Rebuild economies in rural Indiana by improving education, health care, and infrastructure in our rural communities
Many voters told us they don't think today's politicians listen to their constituents. Why do you think that is, and how would you address the concern?
At the state level, the Republicans have held a supermajority for nearly 20 years. They have grown accustomed to not needing to hear any other points of view or caring about the people who have elected them. They are enacting laws that do not benefit the people. This must end. We need to elect officials who care about their constituents and work for the betterment of all.
What is your position on data center development in Indiana?
Data centers are very bad. They consume vast amounts of water, even with the "closed loop" cooling. They require mind boggling amounts of electricity and are costing Hoosiers billions in electric bill hikes to pay for that electricity. They cause permanent damage to the land they are built on.* They provide few jobs locally as server admin work can happen anywhere on the planet with good broadband, which is not rural Indiana. They must be stopped before we sell off everything we are.
*Editor's note: Cornell University mapped the environmental impact of data centers by state. Here is more reporting on how the national environmental footprint of AI has been "notoriously difficult to measure."
Many voters told us they struggle to afford food, housing and healthcare. If elected, how would you help them address those needs?
We must bring down other costs. I believe that we should enact tax laws that benefit the lower classes first. SEA-1 from last year gave huge tax breaks to businesses and gave nothing to the people who needed it. And the bill did not address the main issue of property tax which is the assessment process. Healthcare costs must be brought under control because the cost in Indiana is 30% higher than the national average.* Affordable housing is increasingly not available as there is an increasing shortage in Indiana. We need to bring these costs under control by forcing health care companies to act as the non-profits they are classified as, and construct houses which are affordable.
*Editor's note: Healthcare costs are an incredibly complex thing to measure and compare. In this 2024 report from Indiana University's Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, researchers found that "Indiana's total per-capita health care spending, including spending for hospital care, physician services, and pharmaceuticals, is nearly identical to the national average and in-line with neighboring states."
J.D. Prescott
Candidate did not fill out WFYI's survey.
Incumbent
Party: Republican
Website: votejdprescott.com
Age: Not verified
Occupation: Indiana State Representative, District 33
Residence: Union City
Top donors (via Transparency USA):
- (No records)
Top priorities: On his website, Prescott says he is pro-life and supports cutting taxes, attracting high-paying jobs to Indiana, and protecting local control. In the Indiana House of Representatives, he currently serves on the Elections and Apportionment; Judiciary; and Ways and Means committees.
