Washington's 15th legislative district is one of forty-nine

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

for representation in the

state legislature A state legislature is a Legislature, legislative branch or body of a State (country subdivision), political subdivision in a Federalism, federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of ...

. It includes portions of Adams, Benton, Franklin, Grant, and

Yakima Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the state's 11th most populous city. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The ...

counties. This semi-rural district is represented by state senator Nikki Torres and state representatives Chris Corry (position 1) and Jeremie Dufault (position 2), all Republicans. The

Washington State Redistricting Commission The Washington State Redistricting Commission is a decennial body charged with redrawing congressional and legislative districts in the state of Washington after each census. On November 8, 1983, Washington state passed the 74th amendment to i ...

reorganized the district in 2021 to include a 51.5 percent Latino majority, which was determined to be in violation of the

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights move ...

by a U.S. District court judge. The 2023 ruling required the state commission to redraw the district in time for the 2024 legislative session. A revised map was approved by U.S. District judge Robert S. Lasnik in March 2024; it shifted the 15th district to cover the northern half of Yakima County and the 14th district for the rest of the county, where a Latino-heavy population resides. The new map included changes to 13 districts.

References

External links

Washington State Redistricting CommissionWashington House of RepresentativesMap of Legislative Districts
15 {{Washington-stub