WA League of Women Voters calls for redistricting reforms

The League of Women Voters of Washington is calling for a reform of the Washington state redistricting process. The fact that the Washington State Redistricting Commission failed to reach an agreement on the maps before the constitutional deadline and forced the decision to the Washington Supreme Court confirms the need to reform the redistricting process in Washington, the League stated in a news release. 

The League is asking the public, the legislature and the media to push for more transparency, efficiency and effectiveness in the process and for a structural change to the makeup of the redistricting commission.

“We are disappointed in the transparency of the negotiations and the lack of results. The trust of our election systems starts with redistricting.  If we can’t see what the commissioners are discussing along the way, then we don’t know if our input has been heard and considered. This poor result calls for both process and structural reform,” Alison McCaffree, chairperson of the League’s redistricting issues, said. 

The League called for modernizing the state’s redistricting process by starting earlier, providing better training, offering salaries for the commissioners, and increasing transparency and outreach in House Bill 2575, introduced in the 2019 legislative session. The League commended the 2021 commission for the job they did with outreach and equal language access, and said they believed the commissioners “did the best they could do with a system that was not effective.” 

The League is now asking for more openness in the discussions and greater access to public comments and the elections data the commissioners used. The League released legislative and congressional redistricting map alternatives in September that put communities of interest first and submitted them to the commission for consideration. The League said it hopes the Washington Supreme Court will take the process and the resulting maps into consideration. To view the process and maps, visit lwvwa.org/redistricting, lwvwa.org/maps, and lwvwa.org/speakup. 

“While redistricting relies on technology and data analysis, ultimately human judgment must balance representation among disparate groups — with many needs that sometimes overlap or conflict,” the League stated in its news release, saying the group “hopes the Washington Supreme Court will study the district lines and use them to develop the best solutions for the people of Washington.”