Newton holds redistricting meeting
State Reps. Carl Newton, R-Cherokee, and Brian Hill, R-Mustang, hosted a public meeting on the legislative redistricting process on Wednesday in Woodward to answer questions and gather input from the public.
Newton said the Lawmakers and House Redistricting staff got some good questions at the meeting, and they enjoyed the chance to meet with constituents from the area.
“Making sure our state and national legislative districts are drawn in such a way that each Oklahoma is fairly represented is one of our fundamental liberties,” Newton said. “We are holding these meetings across the state to ensure people from all areas have a say in the process and to give them an idea of how their future legislative and congressional districts might look.”
“The democratic process operates at its best when people are directly involved and have a voice in their government,” Hill said. “The legislative districts drawn this year will affect state government for the next decade, and I was heartened to hear from many people who shared their opinions about what they believe their House district should look like as we move forward in the redistricting process.”
Newton is chair of the Northwest Oklahoma Subcommittee; Hill serves as vice chair.
Other members of the Northwest Oklahoma Subcommittee include:
State Rep. Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon
Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont
State Rep. Mike Dobrinski, R-Okeene
State Rep. Anthony Moore, R-Clinton
State Rep. Kenton Patzkowsky, R-Balko
State Rep. Todd Russ, R-Cordell
State Rep. Steagall, R-Yukon
Every 10 years, the Legislature is constitutionally required to redraw Oklahoma’s legislative and congressional district boundaries to reflect population changes following the decennial census. Redistricting plans for state legislative districts must be completed by May 28, 2021, the constitutionally mandated conclusion of the first regular legislative session following the end of the census. Congressional redistricting has no deadline, but the Legislature aims to complete its work in time for the 2022 elections.
The Oklahoma House of Representatives and Senate are hosting a series of town halls throughout the state in December and January to encourage public input in the redistricting process. The meetings are open to anyone who would like to attend.
Meetings are livestreamed when possible, and video is archived. Previous House meetings can be viewed here: https://okhouse.gov/Video/Default.aspx and Senate meetings can be viewed here: https://oksenate.gov/live-chamber.
Anyone unable to attend the meeting may email comments to the House at redistrictoklahoma2020@okhouse.gov, Senate at redistricting@oksenate.gov, or contact their state representative or state senator. All comments and public testimony will be shared with the committees.
A virtual town hall is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. The meeting link and additional details can be found here: https://www.okhouse.gov/Publications/VirtualMeets.aspx.
Information about other meetings scheduled across the state can be found here: https://oksenate.gov/press-releases/oklahoma-senate-house-announce-statewide-redistricting-meeting-dates.
A map showing meetings throughout the state can be found here: https://okhouse.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/minimalist/index.html?appid=ef335bbb2dea41dc9eb4Ibb029d5a8800.
Additional information about the redistricting process can be found here: https://okhouse.gov/Publications/Redistricting.aspx.