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Tag: Washington Redistricting Commission

It’s official: We get a 10th congressional seat!

It’s official: We get a 10th congressional seat!

U.S. Census officials, including Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, our former governor, recently gave us the good news that our population (6,724,540 souls) has grown enough to warrant another congressional district.  Today, we got the official notification. The clerk of the U.S. House, Karen L. Haas, sent Secretary of State Sam Reed a “certificate of entitlement” that says Washington gets, and we quote, “TEN REPRESENTATIVES.” Here is the certificate. And the letter to Governor Gregoire. Just a few hours earlier, the…

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WA 2011 redistricting officially underway

WA 2011 redistricting officially underway

Secretary Reed introduces Redistricting Commission members (L to R) Tom Huff, Slade Gorton, Dean Foster and Tim Ceis. Washington’s citizen-driven process of redrawing the state’s congressional and legislative district boundaries is officially launched — and you’re invited to watch and give your ideas. The four voting members of the citizen Redistricting Commission — two Democrats and two Republicans — were sworn in Tuesday by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Barbara Madsen.  She exhorted  the panel to “operate with the best…

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Redistricting panel soon launches 2011 map-drawing

Redistricting panel soon launches 2011 map-drawing

The four voting members of the 2011 Washington Redistricting Commission — two Democrats and two Republicans — will be sworn in by Chief Justice Barbara Madsen in the chief’s reception room in the Temple of Justice in Olympia at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, the 18th. The panel must choose a fifth, nonvoting, member to serve as chairman. The commissioners are Republicans Slade Gorton, the former House majority leader, attorney general and three-term U.S. senator, and Tom Huff, the former state…

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Redistricting soon to gear up

Redistricting soon to gear up

Washington will get word on Tuesday on whether we’ve grown enough in the past decade to warrant a new seat in Congress.  The Census figures are coming out, amid speculation that we’ll get a 10th congressional district. The state Redistricting Commission will soon take up the task of redrawing congressional and legislative district boundaries so they represent equal numbers of voters.  Right now, some districts have far more than the ideal-sized population. The commission will be comprised of four voting…

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