Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt calls for November special session for redistricting

Gov. Kevin Stitt is calling state lawmakers back to the state Capitol to approve new maps for Oklahoma's legislative and congressional districts. 

Stitt on Friday set Nov. 15 as the start of a special legislative session on redistricting. 

The special session was expected. Due to U.S. Census Bureau delays in distributing redistricting data to states, the legislature was not able to approve final legislative and congressional maps during its regular session that ended in May. 

Oklahoma's Republican-led Legislature is leading the once-in-a-decade redistricting process to redraw Oklahoma's five congressional districts and 149 legislative districts based on population shifts.

Lawmakers have not publicly released proposed maps, although they are expected to do so prior to the start of the special session. 

House and Senate maps passed by the Oklahoma Legislature and approved by Stitt in the spring have to be redrawn based on the most recent census data. Nearly two-thirds of the districts in those maps, which were drawn based on population estimates, contained either too many or too few residents.  

Related:Oklahoma legislative redistricting maps to be redrawn based on most recent census data

The Oklahoma City metro area is expected to gain legislative seats through the redistricting process, although it's not clear how many now that lawmakers must go back to the drawing board on legislative maps. 

Although a small contingent of ultraconservative legislators have been calling for a special legislative session to block vaccine mandates imposed by private businesses, the session that begins Nov. 15 will focus solely on redistricting.

Special sessions are limited only to issues specifically called for by the governor. However, the governor can add new topics while a special session is ongoing. 

Saying he doesn't believe it's the government's place to tell private businesses how to operate, Stitt has brushed off requests that he do more to prevent them from imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates. 

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Oklahoma Democratic Party Chairwoman Alicia Andrews this week accused Stitt and Republican legislative leaders of intentionally delaying the redistricting process to give incumbent lawmakers an edge in next year's elections. 

In a news release, Andrews called on legislators to release the special session dates and publish maps for proposed legislative and congressional districts. 

Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, who leads the Senate Select Committee on Redistricting, said there was no intentional delay in holding the special session. 

He chalked it up to scheduling issues. Mid-November was the soonest Stitt and most of the 149 members of the Legislature were free for a multi-day special session, he said.