Media Advisory
	Contact: Filiz Satir, Director of Communications (360) 586-9000 Ethan Moreno, Executive Director (360) 586-9000
	FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 23, 2001
	(MA-09-01)
	Commission invites public to testify at Mount Vernon, Everett hearings
	WHO: Washington State Redistricting Commission WHAT: Public Hearings, July 25 and 26; 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m WHERE: July 25, Mount Vernon Public Utility District No.1 1415 Freeway Drive July 26, Everett Snohomish County Administration. Bldg, Ginni Stevens Hearing Rm. 3000 Rockefeller Avenue OLYMPIA — The Washington State Redistricting Commission is holding public hearings in Mount Vernon and Everett later this week. The five-member, bipartisan commission, charged with redrawing the state’s 49 legislative and 9 congressional district boundaries, has been seeking public comment since mid-May. The statewide hearings have been convened in order to make sure that the decennial redistricting process is a more open event. This is only the second time in the state’s history that Washington has redistricted by commission. Prior to 1983, redistricting was done by legislative action and behind closed doors. At the hearings, commissioners welcome testimony related to redistricting priorities, communities of interest as well as the political and physical geography of local communities. Redistricting, driven by 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 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 address information, 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.)