New WA voting boundaries will stay in place for election this year

Mar 25, 2024

New boundaries for Central Washington’s legislative districts appear to be set for the 2024 election.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request to suspend implementation of a new voting boundary map approved by a federal judge earlier this month.

U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik ruled that the Yakima Valley needed new legislative districts to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act and give Latinos a better chance to elect candidates. The ruling was appealed by intervenors in the case, but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision means the map will stay in place.

The new legislative district maps affect 13 districts across Central Washington and put several Republican lawmakers outside their old districts. Notably, there are no incumbents in state legislative races in the new 14th District in the Lower Yakima Valley.

Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said his office would ideally have the 2024 election maps in place by Monday, March 25, giving him time to communicate with county election offices.

Jose Trevino, former mayor of Granger, and Sen. Nikki Torres, a Latina state senator who was moved out of her district, are among those who object to the new boundaries. State Republicans have criticized Lasnik's ruling and the new maps and called them partisan.

Intervenors in the case asked that court stay the new map, but that motion was denied. The appeals court will continue to hear the challenge. 

The decision on the stay was made late Friday by circuit judges Sandra Ikuta, Michelle Friedland and Salvador Mendoza Jr.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Susan Soto Palmer and other local advocates, like Nuestra Casa Executive Director Caty Padilla, with attorneys from the UCLA Voting Rights Project, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the Campaign Legal Fund.

They have praised the new maps as more inclusive and noted that they bring together Yakima Valley communities, including Toppenish, Wapato, Sunnyside, Grandview and East Yakima, into a single district, making voter outreach, education and discussions easier.