Media Advisory
	Contact: Filiz Satir, Director of Communications (360) 586-9000 Ethan Moreno, Executive Director (360) 586-9000
	FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 10, 2001
	(MA 06-01)
	Commission holds public hearings and business meeting in Kelso, Vancouver
	WHO: Washington State Redistricting Commission WHAT: Public Hearings - July 12 and 13, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. WHERE: July 12 – Kelso, Cowlitz County Administration Bldg., Room 300 July 13 – Vancouver, Franklin Bldg., Commissioners Hearing Room July 13 Special Meeting: Prior to the public hearing in Vancouver, the commission also will be holding a business meeting 3 to 5 p.m. The business meeting will convene in the Franklin Bldg, Commissioners Hearing Rm. For more information on this meeting, contact Darleen Muhly at (360) 586-9000. A note to reporters and editors: The Washington State Redistricting Commission is holding consecutive public hearings in Southwest Washington, Thursday and Friday. The Kelso and Vancouver hearings represent the seventh and eight hearings in a series of 16 preliminary meetings being convened around the state. The five-member commission is charged with redrawing legislative and congressional district boundaries for the 2002 elections. For the past two months, the commissioners have been soliciting public testimony and accepting comments regarding redistricting priorities, boundary changes and related issues. Redistricting, a decennial process that follows on the heels of the U.S. Census, changes the boundaries of legislative and congressional districts to include more or fewer residents. The process ensures that each district is approximately equal in population so that each person’s vote carries the same weight. The state’s nearly 5.9 million population dictates that each legislative district must be have about 120,288 people while each congressional district must contain about 654,902 individuals. For further details about public hearings and regular meetings, including specific addresses, please visit the commission’s web site at www.redistricting.wa.gov (Archived news releases can be found by clicking Archives in the menu bar above.)