OKLAHOMA CITY — Gov. Kevin Stitt signed six bills related to legislative and congressional redistricting into law Monday afternoon.
The bills were passed during a special legislative session last week.
Three of the bills reset state House and Senate and U.S. House of Representatives districts for 2022-2032. The other three make one-time adjustments to residency and party registration requirements for candidates.
“I am grateful to members of the Oklahoma Legislature who carried out their constitutional responsibility (in) redrawing these district maps,” said Stitt in a news release.
“Following an open and transparent process that included public input, these maps were passed with majority support in both the House and the Senate, and I am pleased to execute the will of Oklahomans by signing these new maps into law.”
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The legislative maps were relatively uncontroversial, but Democrats put up a howl about the divvying up of Oklahoma County so that the 5th Congressional District is no longer competitive. A large swath of the county, mostly Democratic, was moved into the 3rd District, which stretches from northwest Tulsa to New Mexico to Altus.
The other measures essentially suspend for this election cycle only the requirement that candidates be registered voters in the district and party in which they intend to run six months before the April filing period.
This time only, potential candidates will have until Dec. 31 to meet those requirements.
The adjustment was made because of pandemic-related delays in completion of the Census.
The U.S. and Oklahoma constitutions require redistricting every 10 years.
Video: Census 2020: Oklahoma population shifted from rural counties each decade since 1990.
Aug. 12, 2021 video from census.gov shows percentage population change by county from 1990 through 2020.
Redistricting in Oklahoma: Follow the coverage
About the special session
Lawmakers on Friday sent six redistricting bills to Gov. Kevin Stitt following a weeklong special session.
The bills include new maps for the 101 House districts, 48 Senate districts and five congressional districts, and temporary adjustments to residency and party registration requirements.
The federal and state constitutions require redistricting every 10 years.
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Proposal for 1st Congressional District would drop Washington County, add Sapulpa
Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District would continue to consist mostly of Tulsa County but would lose Washington County and most of Wagoner County while picking up Sapulpa and eastern Creek County under a redistricting proposal released by a legislative committee.
“After hearing public comment, people seemed to view Sapulpa as more of a suburb or associated with Tulsa than Bartlesville is,” said Redistricting Committee Chairman Ryan Martinez, R-Edmond.
Oklahoma Watch: How the incarcerated skew political representation while being unable to vote
The pool of eligible voters in districts with large prisons is considerably reduced, an expert says, giving constituents in those areas more say in state government considering the population-counting issue.
“I don’t like that they are technically included because they can’t give a benefit,” said Jessica Janes, a 32-year-old small business owner and former teacher who ran as a Republican candidate for House District 18 in 2018. “They’re not in a position to vote, so I don’t want an empty body without a say in what’s going on.”
