Municipal election boundaries are redrawn every 10 years based on the shifting, expansion or contraction of voting populations and the Tulsa City Council just approved new district lines.

Tulsa’s Election District Commission unanimously approved an option that they say is the least disruptive choice.

The new districts will be used for the municipal elections in 2022.

The Oklahoma Legislature has redrawn boundaries for congressional districts and for districts within the Oklahoma House and Senate.

The goal is to have each district as close as possible in terms of population within the city limits.

Tulsa’s population rose from 391,906 in 2010 to 413,120 in 2020. Each district needs to have a little under 46,000 residents.

State law only lets a difference of 10% exist in districts and Tulsa’s new plan is more like 3%.

Officials said only 23,463 residents will have a change in their districts due to realignment. District 6 had the biggest change, dropping about 7,000 residents (from about 53,500 in 2010 to about 46,500 in 2020.)

Nothing changed in District 8, the only district that stayed the same.

Tulsa County Election Board Secretary Gwen Freeman said the Election Board would vote on new county precinct boundaries soon. Precinct boundaries are based on the new council district maps but also on state election boundaries, school districts and other jurisdictions.

After the state and city redraw their maps, the election board makes final decisions on precincts. New precincts go into effect in June.

Absentee ballots

Voters who want absentee ballots mailed to them for elections in 2022 should apply now, Freeman said. Any registered voter can request absentee ballots for a specific election or for the full calendar year.

An voter can request absentee ballots electronically by using the OK Voter Portal at oklahoma.gov/elections.ovp.

For a paper application, go to oklahoma.gov/elections.

Call the Election Board at 918-596-5780 or go online at tulsacounty.org.