In the next two years, the United States will do two very important things:

1. Conduct the decennial census (i.e. attempt to count everyone who lives in the country), and

2. Use the census data to re-draw all the state legislative and congressional districts in the entire country. (This process is called “redistricting.”)

While most folks are aware of the census, many have no idea about redistricting, and for good reason - it often happens behind closed doors, out of the public view. For this series, we sought to learn more about the redistricting process, including how it’s done, how it can be done for dubious purposes, and what options exist to help ensure that it’s done fairly and transparently.

Episode 1: GADDIEMANDERED!

This is the first episode of our "Gerrymandering Oklahoma" mini series. We're joined by OU political science professor Keith Gaddie to discuss the ins and outs of gerrymandering and the legislative redistricting process. (Hint: It's super important and most people have no idea.)

Episode 2: A Cause we all have in Common

Now that we know how legislative redistricting is done and how that process often leads to gerrymandering, we want to talk broadly about how states can prevent politicians from picking their own voters. For that, we speak with Dan Vicuña from Common Cause, to gain some insight on what's worked in other states and how their organization is involved.

Episode 3: Ratf**ked

We wanted to learn more about gerrymandering around the country, so we wanted to talk to a man who literally wrote the book on the topic, David Daley. He is the author of "Ratf**cked: Why Your Vote Doesn't Count" and has probably looked at more maps and driven more legislative district boundaries than anyone else in the country.

Episode 4: Power to the People

By now we know what gerrymandering is, how and why it happens, and a few ways to prevent it. But how, exactly, do you get it to stop when the political system is rigged against you? You let the voters take the lead. For this, we spoke with Katie Fahey who started a people-first movement in Michigan in 2018 that led to the formation an independent redistricting commission and virtually eliminated gerrymandering from her state.

Episode 5: People, Not Politicians!

BIG NEWS! A rag-tag group of Oklahomans have banded together to form "People Not Politicians," a nonpartisan organization that has filed a ballot initiative to amend the state constitution to create an independent redistricting commission and end gerrymandering in our state! We hear all about it from their Campaign Manager, whom you might already know...

Links referenced throughout the series

• This is the best explanation of gerrymandering you will ever see (Washington Post)

• Independent Redistricting: A Primer (our blog post from March 2019)

• The Redistricting Game (Fun and harder than you’d think!)

• The Gerrymandering Project (FiveThirtyEight)

• The Atlas of Redistricting (FiveThirtyEight)

• Brennan Center for Justice (Policy experts!)

• Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn't Count by David Daley (Amazon)