SJR 12
Background and procedural information
Senate Joint Resolution 12 would amend the Oklahoma Constitution to create a five member Redistricting Commission for state legislative districts. If passed, the potential amendment would be put onto the ballot as an initiative. The bill is currently in committee.

Under the proposed legislation, are single-member districts a requirement or otherwise implied?

Yes. The bill requires the Redistricting Commission to divide the state into as many districts as there are legislators.

Does the proposed legislation provide for Voting Rights Act compliance (e.g. can the commission use voter history information)?
Maybe. The bill requires consideration of factors such as population, compactness, political units, historical precedent, economic and political interests, and contiguous territories.

Under the proposed legislation, how is the commission formed?
The first four members of the Redistricting Commission are appointed, one each, by the President of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, and the Minority Leader in the House. The final member is appointed by the Ethics Commission, and must be a registered Independent that has not registered as a Republican or Democrat in the past ten years.

Under the proposed legislation, are competitive districts favored?
Neutral.*

Under the proposed legislation, can members of the public submit plans?
No. There is no mechanism established by which members of the public may submit plans or give input. After the plan has been formed, the public has sixty days to challenge the plan in the Supreme Court of Oklahoma.

Does the proposed legislation allow for mid-decade redistricting?
No. Redistricting may only be done within six months of the decennial census report.

*Note: A proposal may be neutral on whether or not to favor competitive districts for a number of reasons, including that such a requirement may be thought to conflict with other criteria, potentially create other legal issues, or is assumed to flow from the new process itself -- or it might merely not be a priority for the legislative sponsors. FairVote believes that some form of proportional voting is needed to ensure maximum competitiveness for each seat and to ensure meaningful choices for all voters.

 
July 21st 2005
Reformers back bill on redistricting
Roll Call

Tanner's Redistricting bill gains support, slowly but surely.

May 30th 2005
Ending the Gerrymander Wars
The New York Times

The New York Times endorses Representative Tanner's redistricting bill.

May 24th 2005
Tanner bill would stop mid-decade remaps
Roll Call

Representative Tanner's bill would prevent mid-decade redistricting and help increase electoral competition.

April 19th 2005
Battle royal brewing over redistricting
The San Francisco Examiner

Instead of focusing on redistricting reforms, California should adopt a non-winner-take-all voting system to make elections more competitive.

April 10th 2005
National Guidelines Needed to Ensure Fair House Districts
San Jose Mercury News

FairVote's Rob Richie and John Anderson call for national redistricting standards to prevent the looming state-by-state

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