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KTEN: Oklahoma lawmakers hold redistricting town hall

VIA to read the story from KTEN.

 

Tuesday, January 12th 2021, 12:29 PM CST

By Mackailyn Johnson


DURANT, Okla. (KTEN) -- Every 10 years following the U.S. Census, states have to redraw their legislative districts to reflect population trends.

Oklahoma state Rep. Dustin Roberts (R-District 21) and state Sen. David Bullard (R-Durant) were scheduled to host a town hall meeting for the people of Bryan County Tuesday evening to discuss what comes next.

“What we're trying to do is just have a very transparent process," Bullard said. "We want it to be very robust so the people can see what we're doing and how we're doing it and why we're doing it, and so we've decided to do town halls across the state."

He said a town hall is the essence of civics, and he invited citizens to come see it and be a part of it.

“If you want to know what the census results were -- which I think a lot of people probably do -- this is a good chance to see how populations have changed and shifted," Bullard said

He said Bryan County is Oklahoma's sixth fastest-growing county.

“That has impact on how this works for the state as a whole has grown," Bullard said. "It's not just Bryan County, but the state as a whole."

Since redistricting is directly related to the census, this process helps legislators decide how tax revenue gets redistributed across the state.

“Every dollar that goes out, we're looking at for roads, hospitals, schools... those are all things that get allocated based on the census," Bullard explained.

He wants the people of Bryan County to take advantage of the public town hall, because once all is done - it's done.

The town hall meeting was scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Tuesday, January 12 at Durant High School. Face masks are required and social distancing protocols will be enforced.

“Ask questions and be a part of this, because it's how it's going to be for the next 10 years, until the next census, so you want to play a role in this kind of thing," Bullard said.

If you're unable to attend, there will be a virtual town hall meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, January 21.