Alting was President of the
Lafayette, Indiana City Council from 1995 to 1998. He defeated Democratic nominee Michael Oxenrider in 2010, was unopposed for reelection in 2014, and was re-elected in 2018 against his Democratic opponent Sherry Shipley, a dean at
Ivy Tech Community College. Along with Senator Mike Bohacek, Alting has sponsored a
hate crimes bill in the state Senate in 2019, seeking to allow judges to increase sentences for
bias-motivated crimes (Indiana is one of just five states without such a law). In 2019, Alting asked his colleagues in the Senate to "be on the right side of Indiana history" by voting for the legislation. The bill was supported by Indiana's Republican Governor
Eric Holcomb as well as by Democrats, as a way to reduce Indiana's
infant mortality rate (which is among the highest in the U.S.). However, the proposal was opposed by the business lobby, specifically the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Indiana Manufacturers Association. Other Republicans in the legislature ultimately killed the proposal, sending it to a study committee. ==Business career==