WHO:	Washington State Redistricting Commission
WHAT:	Four ‘Draft’ Legislative and Congressional District Maps
WHEN:	Monday, September 24, 2001
TIME:	Media availability begins at 1 p.m
WHERE:	Olympia Capitol Campus, John A. Cherberg Bldg., Senate Hearing Rm. 4

OLYMPIA — On September 24, the Washington State Redistricting Commission will unveil four draft proposals recommending boundary changes for the state’s 49 legislative and nine congressional districts.
For the past six months, the redistricting commissioners have been hard at work holding statewide hearings, soliciting recommendations, and, more recently, crafting proposals to realign Washington’s political districts. In early October, the public will have the opportunity to comment on the plans and make recommendations for new electoral boundary lines for the 2002 elections.

Following the October hearings in Centralia, Seattle and Spokane (dates below) and a lengthy comment period, the commissioners will meld the four plans into one proposal. This final plan, which must be approved by at least three voting commissioners, is due to the Legislature by December 15. At that point, legislators may only make minor changes to the redistricting plan. In addition, any proposed amendments must be approved by a two-thirds majority of both the House and the Senate, and must be passed within the first 30 days of the 2002 legislative session. The redistricting plan, amended or not, will establish the new boundaries for the next decade. Neither Gov. Locke nor the Legislature can reject the commission’s plan.

In creating a 2002 legislative and congressional district map, the commissioners abide by several legal standards. One basic principal focuses on the total population of each district. The state’s nearly 6 million residents, dictates that each legislative district must have approximately 120, 288 people while every congressional district must have about 654,902 people. Creating districts approximately equal in population is a matter of ensuring that every person’s vote in Washington is equally weighted. In the absence of redistricting, the people of Washington state would not be – could not be - fairly represented in the Legislature or Congress.

Washington State Redistricting Commission Special Meeting 1:00-2:30 p.m. Monday, September 24, 2001 Senate Hearing Room 4 Capitol Campus, John A. Cherberg Building Olympia, Washington Agenda
1.		Call to Order
2.		Opening Remarks by Chairman
3.		Remarks by Executive Director
4.		Determination of Presentation Order
5.		Commissioner Presentations of Draft Redistricting Plans
6.		Adjournment

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