Washington has taken another step forward in its once-a-decade redrawing of the state’s political boundaries. On Tuesday, the four voting members of the Washington State Redistricting Commission released proposed congressional district maps for public review and comment.
The new maps are in addition to four proposed legislative district maps released Sept. 21, which are also open to public review and comment.
Using data from the U.S. Census, the boundaries are being redrawn to adjust for the rapid population growth that has occurred in some areas while other areas saw population declines. Per Census data, each local legislative district should now represent around 157,200 people while each congressional district should represent around 770,528 people.
As an example, three of the proposed maps would shrink Legislative District 49, which includes Vancouver, leaving out areas such as Felida, Pleasant Valley and Hazel Dell North. The fourth proposed map would expand the district boundary while moving Districts 17 and 18 farther east.
“Now that draft maps are available for everyone to review, we are looking forward to our public outreach meetings next week,” Commission Chair Sarah Augustine said in a prepared statement. “I believe public input is critical to helping the commission come up with a finished product that meets all statutory obligations.”
The maps can be viewed at redistricting.wa.gov. Comments can be made directly on specific areas of each proposed map.
The Washington State Redistricting Commission will hold two virtual public outreach meetings. Both meetings will be available on Zoom. The first meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday and the second meeting at 10 a.m. Oct. 9, and can also be watched on TVW or YouTube.
Meetings will be broadcast in English, Spanish and American Sign Language. Interpretation to other languages is available upon request.
Comments can be made during the meetings or from the website. Those needing alternative ways to comment or other languages will find more information on the website on the “How to Participate” page.
Commissioners will see all comments made regardless of the method of comment or language used.
All map submissions and comments sent using any of the various methods available are subject to public disclosure under the Washington State Public Records Act.
Shari Phiel: 360-735-4546; shari.phiel@columbian.com; twitter.com/shari_phiel
