The Washington State Redistricting Commission is a decennial body charged with redrawing
congressional and
legislative
A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers ...
districts in the state of
Washington after each census. On November 8, 1983,
Washington state passed the 74th amendment to its
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these pri ...
via Senate Joint Resolution 103 to permanently establish the Redistricting Commission. Earlier that year the first commission redrew the state's congressional map after the previous one drawn by the legislature was ruled unconstitutional. Since after the
1990 census, a committee of four appointees of the majority and minority leaders of the
House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
and
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
appoint a fifth member as non-voting chair, and meet to redistributes representative seats according to census results.
History
* 1956:
League of Women Voters proposed Initiative 199 passed, linking redistribution to population trends. However, the resulting redistricting map was altered by the legislature.
* 1982: Senate Joint Resolution placed Constitutional Amendment 74 on the ballot.
* 1983: The redistricting process is declared to be unconstitutional in the outcome of ''Doph v. Munro'', a lawsuit filed by
Everett residents who objected to being moved to the
1st congressional district.
* 1983: Amendment 74 passed; 61% in favor, 39% in opposition.
* 1991: The first Redistricting Commission met and created a redistricting plan, including new
9th congressional district.
* 2001: The second Redistricting Commission met and created a redistricting plan. Due to disagreements during redistricting, they could not meet their
statutory
A statute is a law or formal written enactment of a legislature. Statutes typically declare, command or prohibit something. Statutes are distinguished from court law and unwritten law (also known as common law) in that they are the expressed wil ...
deadline; however, they passed a plan before their constitutional deadline.
* 2011: The third Redistricting Commission met and created a redistricting plan, including new
10th congressional district.
* 2021: The fourth Redistricting Commission met, but failed to agree on a redistricting plan by the deadline of November 15, 2021. Under Washington state law, if the commission fails to pass a redistricting plan, then the
state Supreme Court is required to do so. After the deadline, the commission published its consensus congressional and state legislative redistricting plans, and encouraged the state Supreme Court to enact them. However, on December 3, the court ruled that the commission had "substantially complied with the statutory deadline" and ordered the commission to complete its work to transmit the consensus redistricting plans to the legislature.
* 2024: 13 districts, primarily in Central Washington, are redrawn after a U.S. District Court judge ruled that the
15th district was in violation of the
Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Members
1991 Commission
*
Mary Kay Becker (Democratic appointee)
* Shelly Yapp (Democratic appointee)
* Bill Polk (Republican appointee)
* Veda Jellen (Republican appointee)
* Graham Fernald (non-voting chair)
2001 Commission
* Dean Foster (Senate Democratic appointee)
* John Giese
* Bobbi Krebs-McMullen
* Richard Derham
* Graham Johnson (non-voting chair)
2011 Commission
* Tim Ceis (Senate Democratic appointee)
*
Slade Gorton (Senate Republican appointee)
* Dean Foster (House Democratic appointee)
*
Tom Huff (House Republican appointee)
* Lura Powell (non-voting chair)
2021 Commission
*
Brady Walkinshaw (Senate Democratic appointee)
*
Joe Fain (Senate Republican appointee)
* April Sims (House Democratic appointee)
*
Paul Graves (House Republican appointee)
* Sarah Augustine (former non-voting chair, resigned on March 7, 2022)
References
External linksWashington State Redistricting Commission
{{authority control
Local government in Washington (state)
Redistricting commissions