WA 15th District must be redrawn
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, September 13th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
OLYMPIA – Sen. John Braun (R-Centralia), who is also his party’s leader in the Senate, said a bipartisan commission should redraw a contested voting map, not a federal court. Two recent court decisions said Washington’s legislative district maps, which were created by the Washington State Redistricting Commission during the 2022 redistricting and went into effect this year, must be redrawn for the 15th Legislative District.
A court also determined Latino representation in the 15th District is insufficient to satisfy the federal Voting Rights Act. Braun disagrees with that decision. He believes the legislature needs to call itself into session and reconvene the state redistricting commission to redraw the map.
“Make sure we do our best to get the lines compliant,” Braun said. “Now, I think they are compliant – I think it’s kind of a no-win situation. But nonetheless, the fact remains that we have a job to do, and we should get on with it.”
If the state redistricting commission doesn’t draw a new map by January 8, the court will determine the boundaries, a scenario Braun said is unacceptable.
“Having a court do it, with no transparency, no visibility is wrong,” Braun said. “This is an open, transparent, inclusive process that brings people in to make sure we get it right.”
Currently, the 15th District, which includes portions of Adams, Benton, Franklin, Grant, and Yakima Counties, is at least 51 percent Latino. Sen. Nikki Torres (R-Pasco), a Latina, represents it in the Senate.
