Draft map proposals of new Washington districts unveiled Tuesday
Commission members reveal their attempts to draw new legislative districts; public hearing is planned for Oct. 5
One of the four draft proposals released Tuesday by the Washington Redistricting Commission would move most voters in southeastern Washington into a new legislative district.
The redistricting map submitted by Commissioner Brady Walkinshaw moves Asotin and Garfield counties — as well as the southern portion of Whitman County, including Pullman — from the 9th Legislative District into the 16th District.
The 9th District currently includes Asotin, Garfield, Whitman and Adams counties, as well as a portion of Spokane County and most of Franklin County.
Based on the 2020 census numbers, the district now has a population of 161,037. That means it’s too big to remain as is.
In order to maintain the principle of one man, one vote, the redistricting commission has a target population of 157,251 for each of the 49 legislative districts in the state. It has until mid-November to agree on a plan that redraws district boundaries to achieve that goal.
Each of the four voting members of the commission — two Democratic appointees and two Republican appointees — released draft proposals for public comment Tuesday. Their draft congressional district plans will be published next week.
Basic descriptions of the four legislative maps include:
Commissioner Brady Walkinshaw — He shifts Asotin and Garfield counties and the southeastern corner of Whitman County into the 16th Legislative District, along with Columbia and Walla Walla counties.
Commissioner April Sims — She adds Columbia County to the 9th District, as well as a small corner of Walla Walla County and the eastern portion of Grant County. She reduces the amount of Spokane County that’s in the 9th District, and shifts all of Franklin County into the 16th Legislative District.
Commissioner Paul Graves — His map also adds Columbia County and a portion of Grant County to the 9th District — including all of Moses Lake. He grabs a slightly smaller share of Franklin County, and doesn’t take anything from Spokane County.
Commissioner Joe Fain — His proposal changes the line slightly in the Pasco area and doesn’t take anything from Spokane County, but otherwise maintains the existing boundaries of the 9th District.
All four maps can all be found online, at redistricting.wa.gov/commissioner-proposed-maps. There’s also a link in the upper left corner that people can click on to submit comments on each proposal.
Unlike their counterparts in Idaho, Washington redistricting commissioners don’t have to contend with constitutional or statutory provisions that restrict their ability to split counties between legislative districts.
Consequently, they can more easily craft legislative districts that are nearly equal in population. The 2011 redistricting plan, for example, had a total population deviation between the largest and smallest legislative districts of 87 people.
The four drafts released Tuesday were all in that same ballpark. None had a population variance of more than 179 people, and Walkinshaw’s proposal only differed by 27 people statewide.
The commission will hold a statewide public hearing Oct. 5 to take comments on the overall redistricting effort. The online meeting begins at 7 p.m.; anyone wishing to comment must register in advance. It will also be streamed live on Washington TVW.
Details on the meeting, as well as other commission activities, can be found online at redistricting.wa.gov.
Spence may be contacted at bspence@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-9168.
