The initiative petition seeks to amend Oklahoma's constitution to undo the Legislature's power to draw the state’s political districts and vest that authority with a nine-person commission made up of non-elected officials from different political parties.

Oklahoma’s Republican-controlled Legislature is currently responsible for drawing the state’s political districts, which then go to the governor for final approval.

The initiative petition, filed by a group called People Not Politicians, aims to take partisanship out of the equation when it comes to drawing Oklahoma’s legislative and congressional districts.

Six of the commissioners would be chosen by a panel of retired Oklahoma judges led by the chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Those six commission members would then choose the remaining three commissioners. Altogether, three of the commissioners would be Republicans, three would be Democrats and three would be unaffiliated with either of the state's largest political parties.

The commission would be tasked with drawing compact districts that do not unduly favor any political party or disenfranchise minority groups from electing the representatives of their choosing.

“This proposal will prevent self-serving politicians from manipulating the system and force them to listen to the people they represent instead of pandering to special interests and their party's extremes,” said Andy Moore, founder and executive director of Let's Fix This, a grassroots organization to get regular Oklahomans involved in politics.

Across the states, legislatures and governors are largely in charge of the redistricting process, but a growing number of states are changing redistricting methods to reduce the likelihood of partisan gerrymandering — in which districts are drawn to favor one political party.