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Tag: Washington State Redistricting Commission

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…

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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. •…

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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…

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What a difference a decade makes …

What a difference a decade makes …

Washington’s population has grown by leaps and bounds during the past 10 years — by over 14 percent, to a new nose-count of 6,724,540.  The growth: over 830,000 people. But that growth, of course, hasn’t been uniform all around the Evergreen State, and so our current legislative and congressional districts are out of whack, population-wise.  One of the main purposes of the U.S. Census is to allow us to redistrict every decade so that districts meet the legal requirements for …

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Redistricting panel picks chair, girds for task ahead

Redistricting panel picks chair, girds for task ahead

The Washington State Redistricting Commission is at full strength after unanimously choosing Lura Powell of Richland as their fifth, nonvoting, member and chairwoman.  She was immediately sworn in by Secretary of State Sam Reed. Dr. Powell is well known in scientific and biotechnology circles, and describes herself as nonpartisan or bipartisan.  Her selection was made by the two Democratic and two Republican commissioners who were previously appointed by the four political caucus leaders in Olympia. Powell is former director of…

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