Five years ago in Oklahoma, the GOP-held legislature redrew district boundaries to more heavily favor the Republican party. Since that time, the Republicans have seen a ten percent increase in the number of seats they control in Oklahoma. The GOP now controls almost 80 percent of statehouse seats.
Oklahoma is far from the only state to see such redistricting maneuvers, known as “gerrymandering.” But now,as Oklahoma Watch reports, a recent federal court ruling could open a new wave of challenges to these redistricting laws across the country.
In a major case in November, a federal court struck down a Wisconsin redistricting map, saying it unlawfully favored Republicans and disenfranchised Democratic voters. This was the first time in decades that a redistricting map was thrown out on partisan grounds, and it could have consequences for the Sooner State.
Oklahoma is among a dozen states considered by legal experts to be suspected of unlawful redistricting.
