Browsed by
Category: Redistricting

WASHINGTON STATE’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION: A HISTORY AND LEGACY IN 28 PAGES

WASHINGTON STATE’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION: A HISTORY AND LEGACY IN 28 PAGES

Do you ever wonder how many U.S. representatives and senators Washington (as a state and territory) has had in its 170-year history? How many of them were Republicans? How many were Democrats, or Progressives? If you’re doing a little in-depth research, how many years did Julia Butler Hansen serve in the House of Representatives? Why did James W. Bryant’s term end? Or, if you’re simply curious, what in the name of Orange Jacobs is a “Silver Republican”? We’ll get to…

Read More Read More

`The race is on’: WA primaries next up

`The race is on’: WA primaries next up

Washington’s campaign season is officially underway, with hundreds of candidates signed up for 364 offices, from the U.S. Senate and statewide offices to key races that will determine control of the state Legislature and the future of 10 congressional districts. Secretary of State Sam Reed said he was pleased with the remarkable rush of interest in state and local office, given the difficult problems facing Washington state and the sometimes harsh nature of modern campaigning and the unpredictable influence of…

Read More Read More

And they’re off and running!

And they’re off and running!

Washington’s campaign season is officially under way. Filing Week opened with a bang Monday with hundreds of candidates statewide filing for office.  There are 344 state offices open this year, along with potentially thousands of party precinct committee officer slots. Besides the presidential election and a U.S. Senate race, the state has an unusually rich assortment of open offices this year that are sure to attract heavy attention this week, says Secretary of State Sam Reed.  Reed himself is an…

Read More Read More

Court: 2012 elections will use Redistricting Commission maps

Court: 2012 elections will use Redistricting Commission maps

The Washington Supreme Court has unanimously authorized use of the new Redistricting Commission boundaries to run the 2012 elections, even as a citizen challenge to the commission’s work proceeds. Secretary of State Sam Reed said he was pleased — and relieved — to get the ruling: “This is very good news. Our 2012 elections season is barreling down on us, with Filing Week beginning May 14 and Top 2 Primary ballots going in the mail in July. The counties are…

Read More Read More

Secretary Reed salutes retiring Congressman Dicks

Secretary Reed salutes retiring Congressman Dicks

U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks speaks in Secretary Reed’s office during the 2009 launch of the oral history and biography of Kitsap County civil rights activist Lillian Walker. Secretary of State Sam Reed paid tribute Friday to Norm Dicks, dean of the Washington House delegation, who announced that he will not seek re-election to a 19th term this fall. He is the longest serving congressman in state history, eclipsing even the former House Speaker, Tom Foley, who served 30 years. Dicks,…

Read More Read More

A Senate surprise for Slade

A Senate surprise for Slade

Photo courtesy of Washington State Senate When former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton traveled south to Olympia, he assumed he was just coming to talk with state senators about the new legislative boundaries that he and the other State Redistricting Commission members finalized recently. But unbeknownst to Gorton, the Senate had a surprise in store for him – a resolution honoring him on his long and influential career in state and national politics. The bipartisan resolution, sponsored by Senate Republican Leader…

Read More Read More

Slade talks redistricting, 9/11, Senate and more

Slade talks redistricting, 9/11, Senate and more

John C. Hughes and former U.S. Senator Slade Gorton sign copies of the book that Hughes recently wrote about the longtime statesman. Former state Attorney General and U.S. Senator Slade Gorton was the featured guest at a forum and book signing Thursday in the Legislative Building’s State Reception Room. More than 50 attendees heard Gorton speak about his enduring and prominent career in state and national politics.  Gorton is the subject of a recent biography entitled “Slade Gorton A Half-Century…

Read More Read More

WA redistricting panel produces new district maps

WA redistricting panel produces new district maps

Washington’s citizen Redistricting Commission, under the gun to reach bipartisan agreement on new congressional and legislative district boundaries, pulled it all together just a few hours before their absolute deadline on the night of New Year’s Day. With all four voting members — two Republicans and two Democrats — signing off on the plan, the new boundaries are expected to take effect this spring.  Under the voter-approved constitutional amendment that created the process in 1983, lawmakers will have only a…

Read More Read More

New congressional boundaries unveiled

New congressional boundaries unveiled

(Map courtesy of Washington State Redistricting Commission) With the deadline to complete its work just days away, the Washington State Redistricting Commission appears set on a new congressional map (see above) that puts Olympia and most of Thurston County in the state’s new 10th Congressional District. Under the draft plan unveiled Wednesday morning by commissioners Slade Gorton and Tim Ceis: • the 9th Congressional District would be a minority-dominated district stretching from northeast Tacoma to Renton and south Seattle. •…

Read More Read More

Redistricting maps unveiled

Redistricting maps unveiled

Redistricting Commission member Tom Huff (left) answers a reporter’s question during a news conference about the panel’s proposed maps. After holding 18 public forums around the state and receiving public feedback, members of the Washington State Redistricting Commission unveiled maps of their proposed congressional and legislative districts Tuesday morning in Olympia. The commission has just posted the different draft maps on its website. You can view them here . Much attention was focused on where commission members would place the…

Read More Read More