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Proposed changes to Washington state's Congressional districts released

Redistricting occurs every 10 years in order to adjust for changes to a state's population.

Kipp Robertson

AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Published: 7:29 AM PDT September 29, 2021
Updated: 7:29 AM PDT September 29, 2021

The Washington State Redistricting Commission released four proposed Congressional District maps on Sept. 28 as the Nov. 15 deadline to reach a compromise on redrawing existing boundaries draws closer.

Redistricting occurs every 10 years in order to adjust for changes to a state's population. The goal is to distribute the population evenly to help ensure every resident is represented fairly in the state Legislature and U.S. Congress.

The number of people allocated to Washington's 10 districts is based on the 2020 Census, which determined the state's population was 7,705,281 as of April 1, 2020. That's a 14.6% growth over the last decade. As a result of the census data, each Congressional district should represent 771,595 people, and each of the 49 legislative districts should represent 157,251 people.

The state Redistricting Commission has five members. Legislative leaders from the two largest parties in each house of the Legislature appoint a voting member. A fifth member is appointed as a non-voting chairperson.

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