OKLAHOMA CITY – A proposed state question that would change the way the boundaries for the state’s legislative and congressional districts are drawn has been withdrawn for a second time.
Sponsored by the group People Not Politicians, the proposal would have created a nine-member commission to draw the boundaries for the districts. Membership of the commission would have included an equal number of Democrats, Republicans and members of the general public. The group hoped to have the question on the 2022 state ballot.
Legislative leaders, however, have been vocal in their opposition to the proposal.
On Tuesday, Senate Pro Tempore Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, issued a statement saying he wasn’t surprised that the petition had been withdrawn because it was flawed.
“Regardless of what some may say, the redistricting process in Oklahoma is not broken. Senators take our responsibility seriously to uphold the constitution,” Treat said. “That is why we are soliciting the public’s input and taking steps in our process to ensure the public’s important role in redistricting. The Oklahoma Senate will represent the interests of Oklahomans and will conduct an open and transparent redistricting process.”
This is the second time the group has withdrawn a redistricting proposal. In October 2019, People Not Politicians filed its first initiative petition. That proposal was derailed by two court challenges. Additionally, the group’s efforts to collect the signatures needed to put the proposal on the state ballot were stymied by the outbreak of COVID-19.
This summer, as debate over the question intensified Treat and Senator Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, announced plans to “ensure the public’s role in redistricting.” Those plans included public hearings across the state and the public submission of proposed maps of state legislative and congressional districts, as well as public notice given before action taken by the redistricting committee.
In the House of Representatives, Republican leaders hired former Speaker T.W. Shannon as their public liaison on redistricting.
House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, said Shannon would help gather public input on the design of legislative and congressional districts. “T.W. Shannon is an incredibly effective communicator whose diversity and deep understanding of all of Oklahoma will strongly benefit the House’s public focused redistricting process,” McCall said in a media statement.
Under the Oklahoma Constitution, members of the legislature are required to redraw legislative and congressional districts every decade. The new boundaries are based on the latest census data.
Andy Moore, People Not Politicians’ executive director, said his group would shift their efforts toward holding the legislature accountable in their redistricting efforts.
“They (the legislature) made a bunch of promises, and we intend to hold them accountable to that,” Moore told the Associated Press. “If they follow through on those promises, it really will be a pretty decent process. But if they back out on those promises or if they draw another round of gerrymandered maps, we won’t hesitate to refile our petition in the spring.”