March 25, 2001

Washington, D.C.-By now everyone knows what we've been fearing for months - that the loss of population in Oklahoma in the last decade will cause the state to lose representation in Congress. The recent release of statewide census totals affirmed the belief that the outward migration from Oklahoma would take its toll on our congressional representation.

This year, the Oklahoma legislature will redraw congressional district lines for five instead of six districts. After the 2002 election, only five members of Congress will vote on the U.S. House floor in the interests of Oklahomans. The total population of Oklahoma actually increased by 9.7 percent in the 90s, up to 3,450,654, but that is lower than the national percentage increase in population of 13.2 percent, to a total of more than 281 million people in the U.S.

But the loss of a member of Congress for Oklahoma isn't the problem - it's a symptom of the exodus of people from our state. We in the Oklahoma congressional delegation, working with the Oklahoma legislature and the governor, must redouble our efforts to gain back that seat and more when the 2010 census is conducted. We must find new ways to encourage people to stay in Oklahoma, to encourage job growth, and to continue to make this state a great place to live and raise a family.

These census numbers may not be pretty, but we couldn't avoid them. The Constitution calls for a census to ensure the representation of each state in the U.S. House of Representatives reflects the relative size of its population as compared with other states. A 1964 court case ruled that state legislative districts must be "as nearly of equal population as is practicable." Thus, the reapportionment of congressional seats from state to state coincides with the census every ten years.

Sometimes the numbers just don't add up. When that happens, the Census Bureau has a way to rectify errors. The bureau has a program to resolve disputes over the count of towns or counties, to ensure an accurate count was taken. Challenges to the count are taken and reviewed to determine if incorrect boundaries were used or processing errors were made.

Right now, my office is working with city officials in an Oklahoma town who suspect their town may have been undercounted in the latest census. We're working with those officials and the Bureau of the Census to determine if the town's prison should have been included in the count. The resolution will take place this year, so that the town doesn't lose any federal funding when the census figures are used for 2002 funding priorities. Any other town officials in the Sixth District that think their town census data is incorrect should contact my offices at (405)235-5311.

Working together, we can turn the corner on our population losses, keeping Oklahomans, especially our children, in our state. If we don't, the exodus will continue, and we'll be getting more bad news in 2010.