NEW Redistricting Maps Available

OLYMPIA — The Washington State Redistricting Commission has released a final map of the state’s newly approved legislative and congressional district boundaries. The new electoral boundaries that appear on the highway-style map represent the culmination of 18 productive months of planning, public participation, commissioner negotiations and technical mapmaking. The 2002 boundaries take effect with the November elections and remain valid through 2011.

The 22” x 34” map, recently distributed to county auditors, actually contains eight separate maps. The primary map features the combined boundary lines for the state’s 49 legislative and 9 congressional districts. On the backside, a secondary map shows enhanced geographic details of central Puget Sound districts from Marysville to Lakewood. Both sides also feature smaller map insets, including Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Vancouver, Spokane, Bremerton and Olympia.

The publishing of the map represents one of the final responsibilities of the 2001-2002 Commission. Having completed its constitutional mission, the Commission will close on Friday, June 28, 2002. A new Commission will be reconvened in 2011.

Copies of the new map are available at the Commission offices until the end of June. The Secretary of State and each of the 39 county election offices also have maps on hand. To receive a copy of the map before July 1 please call, (360) 586-9000 or send an e-mail to: contact@redistricting.wa.gov.

To order maps after the Commission’s June 28 closing, contact:

OLYMPIA – Feb. 8, two days after similar approval in the Senate, the House unanimously passed two concurrent resolutions amending the redistricting map for six of Washington’s newly proposed legislative districts. The first resolution, SCR 8429, incorporated boundary changes to the 27th and 28th districts in Tacoma and Fircrest. Also included in SCR 8429 were revisions to the boundary shared between the 18th and 49th districts in an unincorporated area north of Vancouver. SCR 8430 reassigned three unpopulated areas in Grant Co. from the 7th legislative district to the 12th. As passed by the Legislature, no part of Grant Co. is included within the 7th district. The Governor’s signature was not required for passage of the resolutions. According to state law, the legislature has 30-days to amend the redistricting plan submitted by the Washington State Redistricting Commission. Amendments must be approved by two-thirds of the members in each house, and cannot include more than two percent of the population of any district. The legislative review period concluded on Feb. 12.

OLYMPIA - Gov. Gary Locke signed a measure on Jan. 22, that retroactively changes the deadline for submitting a final map of Washington’s congressional and legislative districts. The first law of the legislative session clears the way for the 2002 election boundaries to become effective on Feb. 12, the final date by which the Legislature can make minor amendments to the plan. “This legislation is necessary to correct the problem that while Commission met its constitutional deadline of Jan. 1, it missed the statutory deadline,” Locke said. “What the commission did was a very good piece of work ...(it) complied with the spirit and the requirements of our state constitution, and so there’s no reason to have this revised and reopened and completely redone.” To read more about the bill signing click here. To hear an audio stream of the event, provided by TVW, click here.   Gov. Locke signs Senate bill 6296

	To view or download final maps and reports, Click Here

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Since 1790, the United States has taken an official headcount to help ensure a government by and for the people. Article I, Section 2 of the United States Constitution mandates this federal census every 10 years.

Enter the 22nd Census.

In spring 2001, Washington received its Census 2000 data for redrawing legislative and congressional district boundaries. Today, we count every man, woman and child to guarantee that all people are fairly represented in the political process. The new census information indicates that the state’s official 2000 population is nearly 5.9 million people — an increase of about 1 million residents in 10 years’ time. This official figure and all accompanying redistricting data, will be used by the Washington State Redistricting Commission to redraw the boundaries for each of the state’s 49 legislative and nine congressional districts.


Until the early 1980s, Washington redistricted in the way of most states: by legislative action. For decades, the Legislature redrew political boundaries in an often highly contentious process. After nearly a century of legislative redistricting, including two redistricting efforts by initiative, Washington voters decided it was time for a new approach.

In 1983, the people passed a constitutional amendment giving the decennial responsibility of redrawing political boundaries to an independent, bipartisan commission. The state’s first commission, tasked with redrawing legislative and congressional districts, was formed in 1991. During an 18-month period, it completed its mission of drawing a new district map, and disbanded. In early 2001, a new commission was appointed. Majority and minority leaders in the Legislature selected two Republicans and two Democrats to serve as voting members. The four voting commissioners then selected a non-voting chairman. This bipartisan approach ensures that neither party obtains an unfair advantage in the way redistricting is accomplished.

After a lengthy public comment period, the 2001-2002 commissioners delivered a new redistricting plan to the Legislature in January 2002. The voting commissioners unanimously approved the plan. Although the commission missed the December 15, 2001, statutory deadline, (that was subsequently revised by the Legislature) the state constitutional deadline of January 1, 2002, was met.

Following plan submission, the Legislature approved minor modifications to the 7th, 12th, 18th, 27th, 28th, and 49th legislative districts. (The Legislature cannot amend more than two-percent of any district.) In accordance with legal guidelines, the amendments were approved by a two-thirds majority of both the House and the Senate, and were passed within the first 30 days of the next legislative session. Neither the Governor nor the Legislature could reject the commission’s plan.

The plan — as amended — establishes the new boundaries for the 2002 elections.

While the commission had significant autonomy in developing a plan, they followed established legal standards. The guiding principles for creating a redistricting plan included:

	•	each district shall have a population, excluding non-resident military personnel, as nearly equal as practicable to the population of any other district;
	•	district lines should be drawn to coincide with local political subdivisions (such as city and county lines) and communities of interest;
	•	districts should be convenient, contiguous (share a common land border or transportation route) compact;
	•	49 legislative and 9 congressional districts must be drawn based on state law and federal apportionment totals;
	•	plans should be drawn to provide fair and effective representation and encourage electoral competition;
	•	plans shall not be drawn to purposely favor or discriminate against any political party or group.

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