The Washington State Redistricting Commission is a decennial body charged with redrawing
congressional and
legislative
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...
districts in the state of
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
after each census. On November 8, 1983,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
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, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princ ...
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 and
Senate 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: 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.
* 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
In the United States, a state supreme court (known by other names in some states) is the highest court in the state judiciary of a U.S. state. On matters of state law, the judgment of a state supreme court is considered final and binding in b ...
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.
Members
2011 Commission
*
Slade Gorton
Thomas Slade Gorton III (January 8, 1928 – August 19, 2020) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Washington from 1981 to 1987 and again from 1989 until 2001. A member of the Republican Party, he hel ...
(Senate Republican appointee)
* Tim Ceis (Senate Democratic appointee)
*
Tom Huff (House Republican appointee)
* Dean Foster (House Democratic appointee)
* Lura Powell (non-voting chair)
2021 Commission
*
Brady Walkinshaw
Brady Piñero Walkinshaw (born March 26, 1986) is an American businessman and politician who served in the Washington State House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017. Walkinshaw represented the 43rd legislative district, which encompasses muc ...
(Senate Democratic appointee)
*
Joe Fain
Joseph Frederick Fain (born December 23, 1980) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served as a member of the Washington State Senate for the 47th district from 2011 to 2019. Fain was elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. Fai ...
(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