OKLAHOMA CITY – Republican lawmakers want state residents to know the new redistricting maps for Congress and the Oklahoma Legislature were changed with public input at every stage of the process.
Legislation that authorizes the new boundaries was scheduled to be voted on and sent to Gov. Kevin Stitt by Nov. 19. The Republican-led Senate and House Select Redistricting committees passed the GOP versions with a full vote by both chambers set either Thursday or Friday. Congressional and state legislative redistricting occurs every 10 years after the U.S. Census results are released. The goal is to place an equal number of people in each district.
State Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, said this year’s redistricting effort showed more transparency than ever before. Pae served as vice co-chairman of the House Select Redistricting Committee.
“This was a publicly driven process,” he said. “For the first time ever, any person could submit their own maps (for consideration). The final maps are a result from public feedback and will be good for the next 10 years. I think we can be a model for other states around the country.”
The redistricting process was delayed several months when the Census Bureau postponed its release of data.
Pae emphasized that 80% of Oklahomans will live in their same House district and 71% will live in their same Senate district. Pae said about 85% of his district will remain intact.
State Sen. Jessica Garvin, R-Duncan, said she saw no evidence of gerrymandering as alleged by Senate and House Democrats.
“I heard of that, but there’s no way,” she said. “Nobody was given demographic information when they were drawing those maps. There was public input all through the process. Oklahomans had opportunities to attend town hall meetings either virtually or in-person. Gerrymandering did not occur. There was not one step that was behind closed doors.”
Even Republicans didn’t get everything they wanted out of redistricting.
“Quite frankly, there are people on both sides of the aisle who are upset about parts of their district,” Garvin said. “I lost part of Duncan, my hometown. That should be proof enough that we all didn’t get what we want.”
The U.S. Census showed Oklahoma with a 2020 population of 3,958,353 people. As a result, each of the 48 state senators will represent 82,487 people. Each of the 101 state House members will represent 39,202 people. Oklahoma has five congressional districts that retain approximately the same number of residents.
The Census Bureau results showed Oklahoma gained about 208,000 residents since 2010 with most of that increase occurring in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metro areas. Other areas of the state, most notably in southeastern and southwestern Oklahoma, experienced a decrease in population, which forced several redistricting changes.
Lawton lost 6,486 people in 2020 when compared to the 2010 U.S. Census. Nearby Duncan’s population dropped 4.78% from 2010 to 2020, Census figures show. Duncan’s 2020 population is 22,310 compared to 23,431 a decade ago. Meanwhile, Comanche County’s population declined 2.39% from 2010 to 2020.
State Rep. Trey Caldwell, R-Lawton, said the redistricting subcommittees held 38 open hearings and were presented with 4,000 pieces of personal contact from Oklahomans who expressed an opinion about the process.
“It was most transparent in Oklahoma and perhaps in the country,” said Caldwell, who served as the chairman of the southwest Oklahoma sub-committee for the select committee on redistricting.
Legislators used public comments to accommodate desires as much as they could, the deputy Majority Leader said.
“In southside Lawton, there were three neighborhoods that wanted to be kept in an urban district, so we were able to do that for them and they are all now part of (House) District 64,” Caldwell said.
Legislators also accommodated Oklahoma City and Tulsa by including those metro areas in three congressional districts, which was a wish from city officials in both areas.
A different proposal
The redistricting process hasn’t occurred without the expected amount of controversy between Democrats and Republicans.
Senate Democrats announced Nov. 15 they had filed legislation to enact a fair congressional map for Oklahoma.
“This map shows it is possible to draw fair congressional districts without gerrymandering,” Senate Democratic Leader Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City, said in a prepared statement.
Floyd was not available Wednesday for further comment.
Under the proposed map, 93% of Oklahomans would stay in their current congressional district. The map also keeps 72 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties whole and more accurately reflects where Oklahomans live. The map focuses on compactness and keeping communities of interest together. The congressional map proposed by Republicans forces 28.5% of Oklahoma County into a new congressional district, Floyd said.
“The congressional map enacted by the Legislature will be in place for the next decade,” Sen. Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, said in a prepared statement. “The process should be open, transparent, and deliberate. The map we are proposing shows that you can draw a congressional map while listening to and incorporating public input.”
The Senate Select Committee on Redistricting rejected the Democrats’ proposal on Nov. 16.