Republican Leaders to Democratic Leaders: Defend new legislative and congressional district maps
CONTACT: Nick Jacob, Senior Public Information Officer | 360-786-5097
Republican Leaders to Democratic Leaders: Defend new legislative and congressional district maps
Senate Republican Leader John Braun and House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox released the following statement today:
“The legislative and congressional district maps unanimously approved by the Redistricting Commission should be defended against the current lawsuit or any other legal challenge. It’s a shame the Democratic commissioners – and the Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader who appointed them – are not standing up for this work.
“Our state’s redistricting system is held up as a model for the nation. The highly respected Redistricting Commission Chair, Sarah Augustine, has defended the work of the appointed commissioners. She recently resigned from her position citing the Democrats’ failure to support the new maps as her reason. We support Sarah and wish she had not felt it necessary to step down.
“While the process at the end wasn’t perfect, the Washington Supreme Court found the Redistricting Commission had met the constitutional deadline and substantially complied with the statutory deadline. The Legislature also voted overwhelmingly in favor of these maps. We cannot let legal action scare us away from defending a system and outcomes we know to be fair.”
Learn more:
- Washington State Redistricting Commission | Final district maps
- Washington Courts | Washington State Redistricting Plan
- Washington Supreme Court | Order NO. 25700-B-676
- HCR 4407 | Amending the redistricting plan for state legislative and congressional districts.
- Op-ed: Why I resigned as chair of the redistricting commission (Sarah Augustine) | The Seattle Times | March 11, 2022
- “On Monday, I resigned as chair of the Washington State Redistricting Commission because the Secretary of State and the legislative leaders refuse to defend in federal court the legislative district plan created by the independent commission.”
