Washington Redistricting Commission

The Washington 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 its constitution via Senate Joint Resolution 103 to permanently establish the Redistricting Commission.[1] Earlier that year the first commission redrew the state's congressional map after the previous one drawn by the legislature was ruled unconstitutional.[2] 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.[3]

History

• 1956: League of Women Voters proposed 199 passes, linking redistribution to population trends. However, the resulting redistricting map was altered by the legislature.[4]
• 1982: Senate Joint Resolution places Constitutional Amendment 74 on the ballot [5]
• 1983: Amendment 74 passes; 61.07% in favor, 38.93% in opposition [6]
• 1991: The first Redistricting Commission meets and creates a redistricting plan, including new 9th Congressional district
• 2001: The second Redistricting Commission meets and creates a redistricting plan
• 2011: The third Redistricting Commission meets and creates a redistricting plan, including new 10th Congressional district[7]

Members

2011 Commission

• Slade Gorton (Senate Republican appointee)
• Tim Ceis (Senate Democratic appointee)
• Tom Huff (House Republican appointee)
• Dean Foster (House Democratic appointee)
• Lura Powell (non-voting chair)[8]

2021 Commission

• Brady Walkinshaw (Senate Democratic appointee)
• Joe Fain (Senate Republican appointee)
• April Sims (House Democratic appointee)
• Paul Graves (House Republican appointee)
• The non-voting chair is not yet appointed.[9]

References

1. "Washington Redistricting Commission, Amendment 74 (1983)".
2. Ammons, David (June 7, 1983). "Redistricting: Lawmakers lob the ball into the voters' court". Spokane Chronicle. p. 26. Retrieved April 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "About the Commission".
4. "Historical Timeline".
5. "Washington Redistricting Commission, Amendment 74 (1983)".
6. "Washington Redistricting Commission, Amendment 74 (1983)".
7. "2011 Washington State Redistricting Commission website". Retrieved January 27, 2013.
8. "Washington State Redistricting Commission: The Commission". Retrieved February 6, 2013.
9. Brunner, Jim (January 4, 2021). "Changes ahead for Washington state's political landscape: Redistricting may bring some drama". Seattle Times. Retrieved January 5, 2021.

External links