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Dick Pryor: This is Capitol Insider, your weekly look inside Oklahoma politics, policy and government. I m Dick Pryor with eCapitol news director, Shawn Ashley. One of the biggest tasks facing the next legislature when it begins its work in February will be redistricting. Joining us again for Part Two of our discussion on how Oklahoma will draw legislative and congressional district lines in 2021 are House Redistricting Committee Chair, Representative Ryan Martinez, Republican from Edmond and Senate Select Committee on Redistricting Chair, Senator Lonnie Paxton, Republican from Tuttle. Welcome, gentlemen.
Lonnie Paxton and Ryan Martinez: Thank you for having us.
that didn t stop some conservative lawmakers from pushing through a constitutional amendment banning islamic law in the courts down there. voters overwhelmingly passed that amendment on election day. now a federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction against the measure. casting doubt on its judge has an injunction against the measure. democrat ryan keisel was a state representative in oklahoma and has been opposed to the amendment since the inception. ryan, would youics plain why busy legislators would pass some measure to prevent the state of oklahoma from sharia law when it really wasn t a threat at all to that state? you know, i wish had a good ekts p explanation for you. there s fear among elected officials for voting against a measure like this that they re going to be demonized in their reelection campaign. so while it overwhelmingly passed in the oklahoma house of
among elected officials. for voting against a measure like this that they re going to be demonized in the re-election campaign. ahh! so while, it overwhelmingly passed in the oklahoma house of representatives, i think that are there ten no votes passed in the oklahoma state senate where two no votes. you know the overwhelming majority, i don t think, or at least i hope, i ve got to believe in my heart of hearts that they weren t out trying to target oklahoma s muslim community. i think that they were acting out of fear. now, there are a handful of individuals that realize that putting this on the ballot would be advantageous to their re-election prospects and to their prospects in future campaigns. well, you know, there s the cartoon response i have to this is like henry hill in the music man. you ve got troubled in river city, let s circle the wagons the evil of poor coming and horse racing and all of the other bad things, and yet the fact that people all operate as rational p