We are neighbors organizing for democracy in Boone County, Indiana — and we're here for the long haul.
Indivisible Boone Indiana is a grassroots, post-partisan civic organization rooted in Boone County. We exist to preserve, protect, and expand American democracy — through education, organizing, and showing up for each other.
We are not a political party. We are not a candidate committee. We are neighbors — Democrats, Republicans, independents, and the politically unaffiliated — who share one belief: that the Constitution and the basic guardrails of self-government are worth defending, regardless of which way the wind is blowing.
Why "post-partisan"? Because what's happening to our institutions is bigger than red vs. blue. We've made a deliberate choice to focus on the things that ordinary people across the political spectrum still agree on — free elections, a working Constitution, equal treatment under the law, and the right of communities to organize.
Preserve and protect are clear enough. Expand deserves a definition — so here is ours.
American democracy has never been finished. When the Constitution was written, "We the People" meant only a small slice of the country — and every generation since has fought to widen it. "Expand" means continuing that work: making sure every eligible citizen can actually vote, that every vote counts equally, and that government answers to people — not to money, and not to whoever drew the map.
It is not a partisan idea. It is the oldest American project there is. Democracy in this country has never moved in a straight line — it widens, then narrows, then widens again:
| Era | What happened | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Founding 1776–87 | Revolution replaces a monarchy with self-government — but the vote is limited to white men who own property. | Expand ↑ |
| Slavery to 1865 | Millions of people held in bondage, with no rights and no vote at all. | Contract ↓ |
| Reconstruction 1865–70 | The 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments end slavery, guarantee citizenship and equal protection, and bar race-based denial of the vote. | Expand ↑ |
| Jim Crow 1890s–1960s | Poll taxes, literacy tests and terror strip Black Americans of the vote the 15th Amendment promised. | Contract ↓ |
| Suffrage 1920 | The 19th Amendment — women win the vote after a 70-year fight. | Expand ↑ |
| Civil Rights 1964–71 | Poll taxes and literacy tests are banned, the Voting Rights Act puts federal teeth behind the 15th Amendment, and the voting age is set at 18. | Expand ↑ |
| Citizens United 2010 | Unlimited corporate and dark money is allowed to flood elections, drowning out ordinary voices. | Contract ↓ |
| Shelby County 2013 | The Supreme Court guts Voting Rights Act enforcement, and a wave of new voting restrictions follows. | Contract ↓ |
| Gerrymandering 2019 | Courts decline to police partisan map-drawing — politicians pick their voters instead of the reverse. | Contract ↓ |
| Brnovich 2021 | The Supreme Court raises the bar for challenging voting restrictions, narrowing the Voting Rights Act's Section 2. | Contract ↓ |
Every expansion on that list was once called radical. Every one is now something almost no American would give back. To expand democracy is to be on the side of that history. Concretely, that means supporting:
The reason we got here, in part, is that civics stopped being taught and discussed seriously. The media is fragmented. Trusted, central sources of credible information about how government actually works are scarce. We are committed to filling that gap — through reading lists, conversations, and bringing experts directly to our community.
We start in our own townships, with our own neighbors. School boards. Town councils. County offices. Sign-waves on the courthouse square. The work that scales nationally starts in places like Boone County.
We measure ourselves by what we get done, not what we plan. A small action that actually happens beats a big idea that doesn't. If you only have an hour, give us an hour — that's how movements are built.
Some of us protest. Some of us host postcard nights. Some of us write letters. Some of us are quiet supporters who stay on the email list and show up when it counts. There is no wrong way to be part of this — do what fits your life.
Ten neighbors invite ten more, who invite ten more. That's how movements scale. Every IBI member is asked to bring at least ten people into civic activity over the year.
Civic education and election integrity, all the way to November. Voter registration drives. Know Your Rights cards. Empty-chair town halls. Watching the watchers.
Township-by-township Signal groups for when something can't wait — an ICE action, a school board emergency, a sudden show-up moment. Fast, focused, local.
We work alongside Indivisible Central Indiana, Hamilton County's democracy groups, the Boone County Democrats, and any local organization that shares our commitment to Constitutional self-government.
We believe in informed action. Some of the books and resources shaping our thinking:
An IBI book club meets periodically. Email us if you'd like to join the next session.
IBI is intentionally unincorporated — we are not a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4). This is a deliberate choice. It keeps us nimble, it keeps our members safe, and it keeps the focus on the work rather than on bureaucracy. We operate on in-kind contributions and volunteer time.
When we need to fundraise, we partner with Indivisible National (a 501(c)(4)) or with candidate committees through ActBlue. We never ask members for money directly.
IBI was founded in early 2026 by Virginia and Jan, two Boone County neighbors who decided someone needed to start something. We've grown to over 400 members across the county, with a smaller core of active organizers, township leads, and a trained safety-marshal team.
We are not finished growing — and the next member is the most important one.