Weekly Opinion/Editorial

VOTE YES ON SQ #748

by Steve Fair

When the 2011 Oklahoma legislature conveys next year one of the most important tasks they will tackle will be re-districting. Re-districting is the process of changing political borders. This often means changing electoral districts or constituency boundaries usually in response to periodic census results. In Oklahoma the legislature draws the boundaries for the congressional, state legislative and the county every ten years- the year immediately following a U.S. Census.

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, re-districting is done by the state legislature in thirty six states. Seven states use a bi-partisan commission to do re-districting. Some Oklahoma voters mistakenly think that State Question # 748 would take the legislature out of redistricting, but that is not the case.

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State Question #748 is on the November ballot after passage of a Joint Resolution by the Oklahoma legislature. The authors of SQ #748 are Senate Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, (R-Oklahoma City), and Speaker of the House Chris Benge, (R-Tulsa). If passed, SQ #748 would amend the state constitution by dissolving the current ‘Redistricting Commission,’ which functions if the Oklahoma legislature fails to come to an agreement on re-districting. Currently, the commission is made up of the Attorney General, the State Treasurer and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, all liberal Democrats.

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If approved, SQ#748 would expand the commission to seven members. The Governor, Speaker Pro-Tem, and the Speaker of the House would each appoint one Democrat and one Republican to the Commission and the Lt. Governor would serve as Chair of the commission. Keep in mind the commission would only function ‘if’ the legislature and the Governor failed to reach an agreement on re-districting.

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In our state history the Redistricting Commission has never functioned. They have never held a meeting or a hearing. There has never been a need for them to function- the legislature has always reached an agreement on re-districting. The commission is a safety net, placed in the constitution, just in case the legislature reached an impasse on re-districting. .

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It’s highly unlikely the seven member commission SQ #748 would create would ever decide re-districting in the foreseeable future. With Republicans in control of both Houses of the legislature, the only possible roadblock would be a veto by the Governor that was not overridden by the legislature and that is not likely to happen.

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Some vocal critics of SQ #748 have said the measure is a ‘power grab’ by the legislature. They say the current system of having three statewide ‘elected’ officials deciding re-districting ensures the people’s voice in the process. They claim the three statewide elected officials are more accountable to the people because they had to stand for election at the ballot box. They say creating a commission of ‘appointed’ members will cause re-districting to become political and the members of the commission would only be accountable to those who appointed them. Some of my friends are among these critics and they make some valid points. I just happen to disagree with them.

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First, re-districting is political. Some of the biggest political battles in our nation’s history have been fought over re-districting. We have all heard the word gerrymander. The word gerrymander was used for the first time in a Boston newspaper in 1812. The word was created in reaction to a redrawing of Massachusetts state senate election districts under the then governor Elbridge Gerry. Gerry signed a bill that redistricted Massachusetts to benefit his Democratic - Republican Party. When mapped, one of the contorted districts in the Boston area was said to resemble the shape of a salamander. That still goes on today. District lines are drawn to protect incumbents or to insure the majority Party stays in power. The Party in power controls the process and draws the boundaries. That’s as political as it gets. It just reinforces the adage that ‘elections have consequences.’

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Second, SQ # 748 will give the leaders of the legislature and the Governor more power, but the way the provision is written, it creates a potentially more balanced commission than the current format. If the commission were to function today, it would be composed of three Democrats. Under the proposed rules, no more than four of the seven members would be from one political Party, a more balanced approach.

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Passage of State Question #748 will likely not have any impact on re-districting in Oklahoma in the foreseeable future, but it does add a balance to the process that is lacking in the current system. I would urge you to vote Yes on SQ #748.