Oklahoma House redistricting plan on track despite federal delays

Every ten years all of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and Senate districts are redrawn following the results of the United States Census. Typically the official census results are released in April, so state law requires the legislature to have all the districts redrawn and in place by the end of May. Due to delays from the federal government, the official 2020 Census results will not be available until September, but the state legislature has already drawn up a proposed new map based on preliminary figures. They will be voting on this new map in the coming days with the provision that official federal numbers could make some alterations.

Rep. Tammy Townley (R-Ardmore), serves as the chair of the South Central Oklahoma Subcommittee on Redistricting explained the reason for the federal delays.

“Because of COVID, President Trump extended the deadline on the census,” Townley said. “After that deadline got extended some of the states that were going to lose congressional seats filed federal lawsuits that claimed the extension skewed the numbers, so everything got put on hold until those lawsuits got settled. Those lawsuits have since been settled, but they’re not releasing the final numbers until September.”

Townley said the preliminary figures have given the legislature a good idea about the way the population has grown in Oklahoma, and the proposed map of new district lines has already passed committee in the state house.

Read more: https://www.ardmoreite.com/story/news/2021/05/02/oklahoma-house-redistricting-plan-track-spite-delays-federal-government/4903756001/
(Ardmore Ardmoreite)