1982Final results
1982 election for Indiana House District 53
Indiana House of Representatives · Indiana
Ray Richardson (R) won with 60.5% of the vote, defeating Charles W. Merlau Jr. (D) by 20.9 points.
Ray RichardsonRepublican · winner · incumbent
60.5%10,872
Charles W. Merlau Jr.Democrat
39.5%7,113
17,985 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1982
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET