Keith Graves

Keith Graves (Democratic Party) is a member of the Indianapolis City Council, representing District 9. He assumed office on January 1, 2024. His current term ends on January 1, 2028.

Graves (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Indianapolis City Council to represent District 9. He won in the general election on November 7, 2023.

Graves represented Indianapolis city council district 9 from 2019-2024.

Elections

2023

General election

General election for Indianapolis City Council District 9

Incumbent Keith Graves defeated Christopher Moore in the general election for Indianapolis City Council District 9 on November 7, 2023.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Keith Graves (D)	84.5	4,456
	Christopher Moore (R)	15.5	820

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,276
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Indianapolis City Council District 9

Incumbent Keith Graves defeated Will Owens in the Democratic primary for Indianapolis City Council District 9 on May 2, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Keith Graves	82.4	2,039
	Submit photo	Will Owens	17.6	437

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,476
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Indianapolis City Council District 9

Christopher Moore advanced from the Republican primary for Indianapolis City Council District 9 on May 2, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christopher Moore	100.0	289

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 289
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Graves received the following endorsements.

Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce

2019

General election

General election for Indianapolis City Council District 13

Incumbent Keith Graves defeated Jay Thompson in the general election for Indianapolis City Council District 13 on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Keith Graves (D)	88.4	4,888
	Submit photo	Jay Thompson (R)	11.6	643

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,531
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Indianapolis City Council District 13

Incumbent Keith Graves defeated Deandra Yates in the Democratic primary for Indianapolis City Council District 13 on May 7, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Keith Graves	67.6	1,360
	Submit photo	Deandra Yates	32.4	652

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,012
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

For a complete list of Graves' endorsements, please click here.

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

Keith Graves did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

2019

Keith Graves completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Graves' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm running for City County Council because I know that the best way to make a positive change in our community is to roll up your sleeves and get involved! I am a lifelong resident of Indianapolis, growing up near Wes Montgomery Park in District 13. I graduated from Broad Ripple High School and Indiana University. I served thirteen years in the United States Army Reserves. Like many of my neighbors in the district, I am a homeowner and a taxpayer. I believe in coming together as a community to solve the problems we face.

Making a difference in Indianapolis is nothing new for me. I spent eight years working in city government across multiple departments focusing on criminal justice. This includes my tireless work with the Marion County Justice Agency, my work as a Deputy Bail Commissioner and Investigator for The Public Defender Agency, and my role in helping create the Pretrial Release Program. I know the system and I have seen how it impacts real people in our city. As a City-County Councillor, I will use my experience to advocate for District 13.

Today, I am a professional in Financial Services. However, I remain committed to public service. Over the years I have worked with community leaders like Reverend Dr. Andrew J. Brown to create The St John's Youth Awareness Program to provide mentorship for teens in Marion County. In 2010, I established the Indy Downtown Flag Football League to provide positive programming and mentorship for young men, culminating in our annual Peace in the Streets Tournament.

I want to use my knowledge to benefit our neighborhoods. I've been proud to work with organizations like ReNew Indianapolis to renovate abandoned properties around Marion County, but I know it takes more than flipping houses to truly develop a community. As a Council member, I plan to focus on long-term investments that not only beautify our city, but that nurture its roots as well.

Our neighborhoods should have a Council member that

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Continuum of Community Care
Criminal Justice
Community Revitalization

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Public Safety
Economic Development

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

It is politics at it's most ground roots level. The role of City County Council is the role in all of elected leadership they touches the people, hear the people. This role is one that is truly of the people.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

President Barack Obama is a leader that projects calm intelligence. He has earned the respect of his constituents and others.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Strong advocate for your community, being open minded and understanding what the community wants and needs.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Advocate for my community

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Serve

What legacy would you like to leave?

When I served, I sparked change, I provided hope

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I fell in love with our country during the Bicentennial, 1976. I eventually served in the armed forces to further show my patriotism.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Paper Route, many years as a youth.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Inequality and hypocrisy in America

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

As a member of the council, I can and will resolve ongoing community level issues. I am also a connector of the many services available to members of the community should they need them.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

It is not a requirement. This is important because the novice eye sees different and for example, can provide a diverse approach to long-standing issues.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Love of your community

Commitment to being available
Negotiating for your community

Some knowledge of City Government planning and finance.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

Indianapolis City Council District 9

Officeholder

Indianapolis City Council District 9

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by William Oliver (D)	Indianapolis City Council District 9 2024-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by Stephen Clay (D)	Indianapolis City Council District 13 2019-2024	Succeeded by Jesse Brown (D)

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Keith Graves

Contents

Elections

2023

General election

General election for Indianapolis City Council District 9

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Indianapolis City Council District 9

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Indianapolis City Council District 9

Endorsements

2019

General election

General election for Indianapolis City Council District 13

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Indianapolis City Council District 13

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

2019

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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