OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – The founder of a group that wants a bipartisan commission to redraw Oklahoma’s legislative and congressional districts says the plan would help stop gerrymandering and prevent politicians from picking their own voters.
A coalition of groups filed an initiative petition with the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s Office on Monday that seeks a statewide vote to amend the Oklahoma constitution and transfer redistricting duties from the Legislature to a citizens’ commission.
Andy Moore, founder of the grassroots group Let’s Fix This, says the current system allows lawmakers to draw district boundaries to suit their own needs in order to get re-elected.
Moore says that under the proposal, district boundaries would be drawn by a nine-member commission chosen by a panel of retired judges in a process that would be open and transparent.