Statement from Senate President Pro-Tem Brian Bingman on Supreme Court Decision regarding Senate redistricting plan

The Supreme Court has entered an order finding the Senate Redistricting Act complies with Article 5 Section 9A of the Constitution.

“I am pleased by the Supreme Court’s decision today confirming what we have said all along: the State Senate’s bipartisan redistricting act is constitutional. Given the amount of time, hard work and collaboration that went into creating these new districts, we had no doubt as to their constitutionality.


"It is now time for the Senate to put this matter behind us and move forward together as we make preparations for the 2012 legislative session.


"Once again, I would like to commend the hard work of the Senate Redistricting Committee, which put together the plan this session along with our knowledgeable Senate staff. It was not an easy task, but they traveled around the state gathering input from the public and also worked with their colleagues in the Senate to create an appropriate plan for the citizens of Oklahoma.”

Senate redistricting plan unveiled

CapitolBeatOK Staff Report 
Published: 11-May-2011 

The Senate Committee on Redistricting has completed its task of redrawing Senate district boundaries based on the 2010 U.S. Census.  Sen. Clark Jolley, an Edmond Republican, and Sen. Bryce Marlatt, a Woodward Republican, are co-chairs of the committee.

While the measure is widely expected to pass, it will draw some opposition votes, according to the Senate minority leader. 

Jolley said it was a painstaking and difficult process, but in the end, the final boundaries were the result of a bipartisan effort and reflect a strong commitment to civil rights. The committee approved the proposal Wednesday afternoon (May 11).

“We had to make sure the each district has approximately the same number of people and that we preserved districts where a majority of citizens are minorities. Oklahoma’s population grew by some 300,000 people over the past ten years, but there’s also been a major shift from rural areas to metropolitan suburbs,” Jolley said.

“In addition, we’ve had significant demographic changes with the growth of our Hispanic population. After much work and negotiations, we’ve developed a comprehensive and fair approach which meets our constitutional and statutory mandates.”

The current district boundaries were designed so that each would have approximately 72,000 people. Oklahoma’s population increased by 8.7 percent from 2000 to 2010, which meant each Senate district had to be redrawn to expand those districts to approximately 78,000 people.

“We’ve had changes in both size and concentration of populations that had to be taken into account. We didn’t want to divide smaller communities, and we also wanted to avoid dividing counties into different districts whenever possible. It was difficult, but we succeeded,” Marlatt said. “Ultimately, the districts we drew came within one percent of a completely even population division, even though the law allows up to a five percent variance. The final product is a testament to the hard work and professionalism of our staff and our members.”

Sen. Sean Burrage, a Democrat from Claremore, served as co-vice chair of the redistricting committee. He said the final proposal is the product of common sense and bipartisanship.

“I am very pleased that many of the district lines have changed as a result of the work we have done with Senator Jolley and Senator Marlatt,” Burrage said. “It has been a tough and intense process and I commend people on both sides of the aisle for improving the bill.”

“I want to express my thanks to Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman for his great leadership throughout this process,” Jolley said. “I also want to acknowledge the hard work of my co-chair, Senator Marlatt, and vice co-chairs, Senator Andrew Rice and Senator Sean Burrage, as well as our outstanding staff -- their commitment, patience and experience have been invaluable.”

In response to question from CapitolBeatOK, Senate Minority Leader Andrew Rice, an Oklahoma City Democrat from District 46 in the MidCity area, commented, "In the end they were fair to Senate District 46 and many other Democratic districts, but I will be voting NAY on the overall bill to show solidarity with members of my caucus who are unhappy with the process, and who will vote against the bill. However, there will be enough bi-partisan votes for the bill to pass."

Note: Editor Patrick B. McGuigan contributed to this report.

UPDATED: House Redistricting Plan Made Public

Update: House District 60, currently held by term limited Rep. Percy Walker, was moved into portions of Canadian and Caddo counties in central and west central Oklahoma. HD 60 currently runs along Oklahoma's western boarder with Texas.

House District 20, currently held by Rep. Paul Roan, was moved from south central Oklahoma in Atoka, Coal and Johnston counties to Cleveland, Garvin and McClain counties just south of the Oklahoma City metro. Rep. Roan is also term limited.


These changes reflect the continuing population shift from rural to urban areas of the state.


Original Post: The proposed State House redistricting maps associated with the Conference Committee Substitute for House Bill 2145 are available to view on the House Redistricting webpage, under the Redistricting Bills tab.


The actual bill language for HB 2145 CCS will be published as soon as the text is reviewed by Bill Processing and proofread for accuracy of population totals. With the new conference committee process in the House, a meeting notice for the Redistricting Conference Committee cannot go out until the CCS is available to post, but the plan is to have a Redistricting Conference Committee meeting on Monday, May 9, after adjournment.


Location:Oklahoma State Capitol, Oklahoma City

House Unveils Congressional Redistricting Plan

House lawmakers have unveiled a proposed congressional redistricting map for the state of Oklahoma.

"The proposed congressional redistricting plan adheres to the basic principles outlined when we began this process," said House Speaker Kris Steele, R-Shawnee. "It does not needlessly divide communities of interest, it protects the rights of citizens, and it is carefully constructed to ensure each district has equal population."

"Because we are committed to a sensible redistricting process, the new map is not dramatically different than the old one," said state Rep. Dale DeWitt, R-Braman and chair of the House Redistricting Committee. "Rural districts remain rural and urban districts remain urban, and each district contains an almost identical number of citizens. I believe this plan will easily gain passage in both chambers of the Legislature."

House Bill 1527 creates the "Oklahoma Congressional Redistricting Act of 2011." According to the 2010 Census, Oklahoma’s total population is 3,751,351; therefore, each of the state’s five congressional districts should have approximately 750,270 people.

Speaker Steele Appoints Redistricting Committee

House Speaker Kris Steele today announced the appointment of a bipartisan House Redistricting Committee, which will oversee the redrawing of state and federal legislative lines during the 2011 legislative session.

Bingman Pledges Fair and Accurate Approach to Redistricting

Sen. Brian Bingman
Senate President Pro Tempore

(State Capitol, Oklahoma City) President Pro Tempore Designate Brian Bingman announced his choices for the Senate Redistricting Committee Wednesday. Redistricting refers to the process of adjusting, or redrawing, district boundaries to accommodate the reapportionment as well as population changes within the state based on the 2010 census. All of Oklahoma’s congressional districts, judicial districts, Senate districts and House of Representatives districts are redrawn, to equalize representation.

“It is very important that all of Oklahoma have a seat at the table for this redistricting process. I am confident that this bi-partisan committee of urban, rural and suburban members will accurately reflect our state and lead this process in fairness,” stated Bingman, R-Sapulpa. “It is our job as policy makers to ensure that all Oklahomans receive a voice and we will work diligently to be sure that our population is justly represented.”

Supreme Court boundaries have not been amended since 1968, while Congressional, Senate and House of Representative boundaries change along with the completion of each census every ten years. “It has been over forty years since we have amended the Supreme Court boundaries and on that account it is time that we give them review in this process,” concluded Bingman.

Senate Redistricting Committee Members include:

Sen. Clark Jolley,R-Edmond, Co-Chairman
Sen. Bryce Marlatt, R-Woodward, Co-Chairman
Sen. Jonathan Nichols, R-Norman, Judicial Vice Chairman
Sen. Don Barrington, R-Lawton, Western and southern Oklahoma Vice Chairman
Sen. Dan Newberry, R-Tulsa, Northeast Oklahoma Vice Chairman
Sen. Mark Allen, R-Spiro, Eastern and southeast Oklahoma Vice Chairman
Sen. David Holt, R-Oklahoma City, Central Oklahoma Vice Chairman
Sen. Eddie Fields, R-Wynona, Congressional Chairman
Sen. Kim David, R-Wagoner, Congressional Vice Chairman
Sen. Andrew Rice, D-Oklahoma City, Minority Co-Vice Chairman
Sen. Sean Burrage, D-Claremore, Minority Co-Vice Chairman
Sen. Judy Eason McIntyre, D-Tulsa
Sen. John Sparks, D-Norman

Sen. Brian Bingman and Sen. Mike Schulz, R-Altus, will serve as Ex-Officio Members of the Redistricting Committee.

Each of the vice chair members will serve as a point person to activity and issues related to their territory, which would include public meetings, member inquiries and constituent inquiries. Census data determines that Oklahoma will retain all five congressional seats.