We’re honored to feature a message from Alison McCaffree, the Redistricting & Census Issue Chair and Chair of the Redistricting Reform Task Force at the League of Women Voters of Washington. Please take a moment to read her message. – Lee Murdock, LWVYC President
New Legislative Map. The Changes. The Solution.
By Alison McCaffree, LWVWA Redistricting Issue Chair
For the 2024 election, new legislative map boundaries will switch nearly half a million people to different districts and displace 5 current legislators. On Friday, March 15th, Federal District Court Judge Lasnik handed down the final remedy for the Soto Palmer v Hobbs lawsuit that declared a Yakima Valley district (LD 15)
discriminatory to Latino voters. The latest order creates a new District 14 with the intent of giving better opportunity for Latino voters to elect a candidate of their choice. The League of Women Voters of Washington believes the uncertainty and churn caused by this lawsuit illustrate the need to change our state’s redistricting
process. We support a new kind of commission putting people first. This People First Redistricting Commission would minimize partisan influences and emphasize a consensus around what’s best for all communities. You can help make this new commission a reality.
Learn more. Please join the Redistricting Reform Task Force for a briefing on Washington State’s new legislative map. “How did we get here? Where do we go next?” Register for the virtual discussions on Wed. April 10th at 6:30pm and Sat. April 13th at 10:30am. Register or learn more https://linktr.ee/LWVWA.
The changes. The new legislative map changes thirteen legislative districts in fifteen counties. The League of Women Voters of Washington’s Redistricting Reform Task Force estimates that 489,435 voters will switch districts. The new LD14 connects the Latino communities in East Yakima, Yakima Valley and East Pasco and combines it with the Yakama Nation’s main reservation and its fishing villages. In Yakima County will see 3 types of changes.
- 66,483 people switched from LD15 to LD14 in Grandview, Sunnyside, Union Gap, and the eastern part of the City of Yakima.
- 87,757 people moved from LD14 into LD15 in the western part of the City of Yakima and Selah.
- 30,700 people moved from LD13 to LD15 in Terrace Heights, Moxie, Naches and Tieton.
A recent LWVWA article describes more about the changes
Is this final? On April 2, The Supreme Court of the United States denied hearing the appeal on an emergency stay. Therefore, the 2024 election will be held with this new map. However, a regular appeal Court will proceed in the summer. We will wait and see if the maps change again before 2026.
What district am I in? For now, if you want to find out your district, you can click a map in Dave’s Redistricting App. Zoom into your house to confirm your new district (Use the Tools drop down select ‘zoom to a city or county’). Changes to the Find your District tool on leg.wa.gov will be available later.
The solution. Tired of the churn and uncertainty? Whether or not you like the outcome of this lawsuit, the League believes that this disruption is not good governance. A better process would likely have created a more representative map in the first place and avoided this new change of districts for so many voters.
The League supports a redistricting commission with expanded representation beyond the current two-party structure. All members would be ordinary citizens who represent Democratic, Republican, and other points of view but who are not officially affiliated with the political parties. “Fair Maps in the State of California” research shows that these commissions have higher public trust and have resulted in legislatures that are more representative of the people. The result is a process that “empowers communities and reduces the influence of political actors.” The LWVWA supports a People First Commission for Washington.
You can get involved with the Yakima area local action team by contacting Dori Peralta Baker.
Sincerely,
Lee Murdock
President, League of Women Voters of Yakima County
