Redistricting Town Hall Overview
The Oklahoma Legislature is required to redraw state legislative lines every 10 years, following the federal decennial census. The Legislature is also charged with redrawing Oklahoma’s congressional districts. The House and Senate work to redraw their respective house’s districts. When successful, the new districts will be used for elections in 2022 through 2030. Why Redistricting is Required?
Due to population shifts within the state, the need to redistrict is necessary to preserve the constitutional standard of one person, one vote.
Congressional districts must be approximately “equal in population”- U.S. Supreme Court, Wesberry v. Sanders (1964)
State legislative districts must be “as nearly of equal population as is practicable.” – U.S. Supreme Court, Reynolds v. Sims (1964) “one person, one vote” Reapportionment vs. Redistricting
Reapportionment –the allocation of seats in a legislative body among established districts, where boundaries do not change but number of members per district does.
Article 1, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution
Section 2, 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
Title 2 of the United States Code, Sections 2A, 2B, 2C
Redistricting – the drawing of new political district lines.
Article 5, Sections 9A, 10A, 11A of the Oklahoma Constitution
Title 14, Oklahoma Statutes: codification of Congressional, House and Senate redistricting plans Projections for 2020 Congressional
Apportionment Winners (+) Losers (-)
(+1) Arizona (-1) California
(+1) Colorado (-1) Illinois
(+1) Florida (-1) Michigan
(+1) Montana (-1) Minnesota
(+1) North Carolina (-1) New York
(+1) Oregon (-1) Ohio
(+3) Texas (-1) Pennsylvania (-1) Rhode Island (-1) West Virginia
*Independent projection and image by Esri About the Census
The U.S. Census Bureau counts every person living in the United States at their place of residence every decade. Census data directly ensures that each community receives its fair share of political representation through:
Congressional apportionment
division of 435 U.S. House of Reps seats among states
Congressional and legislative redistricting Census Geography
The U.S. Census Bureau Redistricting Data Office provides states with population and race data at county, tract, precinct, and block levels necessary for redistricting.
Image courtesy of ArcGIS Redistricting Principles for the State Senate (5 O.C. 9A)
Population;
Compactness;
Area;
Preservation of political subdivisions;
Historical precedents;
Economic and political interests;
Contiguous territory; and
Other major factors, to the extent feasible. House Redistricting Guidelines
Because the Oklahoma Constitution is silent on criteria for House plans, the House has a tradition of adopting its own guidelines every decade. 2011 guidelines include:
Fairness to minority, ethnic and political groups;
Population standard deviation of no more than 6% (+/- 3% per House district in 2011, 1% (+/-.5%) for congressional districts;
Preservation of political subdivisions;
Districts must be contiguous, and compactness will be a consideration;
Preservation of communities of interest based on social, cultural, ethnic and economic similarities; and
Preservation of core of existing districts
101 House Districts Estimated Population Growth (2010-2019) District Lines Over Time… Example, HD 99 Congressional Map State House Map State Senate Map “Public input from each region of Oklahoma is the foundation of the House’s inclusive, transparent and fully legal PROCESS process to produce fair representation for all Oklahomans for another decade.” - MOVING House Speaker Charles McCall FORWARD “Our job is to give the public an open forum to redraw their districts. I look forward to citizens really taking ownership of this process and telling us what they want in their districts.” - Rep. Ryan Martinez, Chair House Redistricting Committee Public Engagement
Dedicated Email for Public Input
[email protected] (House)
[email protected] (Senate) Redistricting Website
https://www.okhouse.gov/Publications/Redistricting.aspx (House) NCSL Training-Oct. 12 Public Software Demo-Dec. 14 Regional Town Halls
Opportunities for public to share feedback on communities of interest, local preferences, other thoughts on redistricting process
Coordinated efforts to cover more locations around the state (18 total meetings, 2 all virtual)
Livestreaming when possible. When not possible, a recording will be posted online Public Maps Submissions
2021 House Redistricting Process
Formally, the House began its efforts starting in the interim of 2020.
Evaluation of past rules/guidelines
Training on law and principles, software selection
Regional town halls, solicit and review public input In early 2021, the Legislature awaits the release of Census data
Public input and population equality is the starting point for plan development
Each rep meets w/ staff to discuss public input and population changes
Subcommittees gather to develop regional plans
Full committee gathers to develop and vote on statewide plan and reviews public map submission Congressional, House and Senate plans goes through legislative process like all other legislation
Subject to House rules and certain deadlines
Subject to veto by Governor
Back up commission for legislative districts if the Legislature fails to meet deadline/reach consensus
60 day deadline for challenges House Redistricting Committee
Rep. Ryan Martinez, Chair
Rep Daniel Pae & Rep. Emily Virgin, Co-Vice Chair
Southwest Oklahoma Subcommittee Northwest Oklahoma Subcommittee
Rep. Trey Caldwell, Chair Rep. Carl Newton, Chair
Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, Vice-Chair Rep. Brian Hill, Vice-Chair
South Central Oklahoma Subcommittee North Central Oklahoma Subcommittee
Rep. Tammy Townley, Chair Rep. Ty Burns, Chair
Rep. Ronny Johns, Vice-Chair Rep. John Talley, Vice-Chair
Southeast Oklahoma Subcommittee Northeast Oklahoma Subcommittee
Rep. Randy Randleman, Chair Rep. Jim Olsen, Chair
Rep. Jim Grego, Vice-Chair Rep. Rusty Cornwell, Vice-Chair
Oklahoma City/OK County Subcommittee Tulsa/Tulsa County Subcommittee
Rep. Nicole Miller, Chair Rep. Sheila Dills, Chair
Rep. Ajay Pittman, Vice-Chair Rep. Monroe Nichols, Vice-Chair
***all 101 House member serve on a regional committee***
Q&A. Stay informed, stay in touch. House Chair – Rep. Ryan Martinez Vice Chairs – Rep. Daniel Pae and Rep. Emily Virgin Quyen Do, Redistricting Coordinator House contact info: [email protected] or 405-962-7808 Website: https://okhouse.gov/Publications/Redistricting.aspx
Senate Chair – Sen. Lonnie Paxton Vice Chairs – Sen. Dave Rader and Sen. Michael Brooks Keith Beall, Redistricting Director Senate contact info: [email protected] or 405-524-0126 Website: oksenate.gov