Washington

Washington’s congressional and state legislative lines are drawn by a five-member independent commission, created in 1982.

Each of the four legislative leaders (majority and minority party leader in each legislative house) each select one registered voter to serve as commissioner, and those four commissioners choose a nonvoting fifth commissioner to serve as chair. If the commissioners cannot agree on a chair, the state Supreme Court will select one. [Wash. Const. art. II, § 43(2)]  The Democratic leadership made its choices on Dec. 10, 2020, and the Republican leadership made its choices on Jan. 15, 2021.  The five commissioners for 2020 are listed here.

The state constitution provides that no commissioner may have been an elected official or elected district, county, or state party officer within two years of appointment to the commission. [Wash. Const. art. II, § 43(3)]  State law further prohibits those who have been registered lobbyists within the last year from serving as a commissioner; this latter limitation may be altered by the state legislature. [Rev. Code Wash. § 44.05.050]

The independent commission will submit its districting plan to the legislature, which may within the next 30 days amend the plan if two-thirds of each house approves the amendment. State statute provides that no legislative amendment may include more than two percent of the population of any particular district; this limitation may be altered by statute. [Wash. Const. art. II, § 43(7); Rev. Code Wash. § 44.05.100]

The state Supreme Court has original jurisdiction to hear legal challenges in state court to redistricting plans; it is also given the automatic authority to draw plans itself if the commission has not adopted a plan by Nov. 15, 2021. [Rev. Code Wash. §§ 44.05.100; 44.05.130]

The Washington state constitution requires that the commission produce congressional and state legislative plans by Nov. 15, 2021; the legislature has 30 days thereafter to amend the plan. If the commission does not produce plans by Nov. 15, 2021, the state Supreme Court will produce a plan, by Apr. 30, 2022.  Candidates must file for congressional and state legislative primary elections by May 20, 2022.  [Wash. Const. art. II, § 43(6); Rev. Code Wash. §§ 29A.24.050; 44.05.100]

In the normal course of affairs, Washington law prohibits redrawing congressional or state legislative lines mid-decade, before the next Census. However, by a two-thirds vote of each house of the legislature, the independent commission may be reconvened to redraw district lines at any time. [Wash. Const. art. II, § 43(8), (11); Rev. Code Wash. §§ 44.05.100, 44.05.120]

Commission meetings are open to the public (and subject to the state’s Open Meetings Act).  When the commission’s work is done, the commission must publish a report explaining the plan.  [Rev. Code Wash. § 44.05.080]

The commission began holding meetings on Feb. 21, 2021. Records of these meetings can be found here.

Like all states, Washington must comply with constitutional equal population requirements; the state constitution further requires that state legislative districts be equally populated, “as nearly as practicable,” excluding nonresident military personnel.  Washington will also adjust census data for congressional and state legislative districts in order to count incarcerated individuals at their last known residence before incarceration.  [Wash. Const. art. II, § 43(5); Rev. Code Wash. §§ 44.05.090, .140]

Washington must also, like all states, abide by the Voting Rights Act and constitutional rules on race.

The Washington constitution requires that, to the extent reasonable, both constitutional and state legislative districts should be contiguous, compact, and convenient, and follow natural geographic, artificial, or political subdivision boundaries. The commission must also not purposely draw plans to favor or discriminate against any political party or group. By statute, Washington further provides that districts should be drawn to preserve areas recognized as communities of interest, and that the number of divided counties and municipalities be as small as possible; they also define contiguous areas as those without geographical boundaries or artificial barriers preventing transportation (and similarly include contiguity by water if the areas are connected by a ferry, highway, bridge, or tunnel). Finally, Washington statutes require the commission to “provide fair and effective representation and to encourage electoral competition.” [Wash. Const. art. II, § 43(5); Rev. Code Wash. § 44.05.090]

State legislative districts are, by definition, nested; one Senator and two Representatives are elected from each district. [Rev. Code Wash. § 44.05.090]

Washington’s commission initiated a vote on final maps (along with a final report) for congressional and state legislative districts on Nov. 15, 2021, though the commission did not complete the formalities of transmitting the plans until shortly after midnight. The state supreme court rejected a challenge to the belated completion of transmission.  [In re Wash. State Redistricting Comm’n Letter, 504 P.3d 795 (Wash. 2021)]   Litigants also challenged the commission’s compliance with open meetings laws; those claims settled.  [Settlement Agreement, West v. Wash. State Redistricting Comm’n, No. 21-2-01949-34 (Wash. Super. Ct., Thurston Cnty. Mar. 4, 2022); West v. Wash. State Redistricting Comm’n II, No. 100469-9 (Wash. Jan. 6, 2022); Consent Decree, Wash. Coal. for Open Gov’t v. Washington, No. 21-2-02069-34 (Wash. Super. Ct., Thurston Cnty. Mar. 4, 2022)]

With a 2/3 vote in each house, the state legislature passed a slightly amended version of the congressional and state legislative plans (HCR 4407), on Feb. 8, 2022.

A federal court struck the state legislative districts as a violation of the Voting Rights Act; on Mar. 15, 2024, the court ordered the implementation of a remedial plan, and later rejected claims that the remedial plan unconstitutionally allowed race to predominate without sufficient justification.  All of those decisions have been affirmed on appeal.  [Soto Palmer v. Hobbs, Nos. 23-35595, 24-1602, __ F. 4th __, 2025 WL 2462967 (9th Cir. Aug. 27, 2025); Garcia v. Hobbs, No. 24-2603, 2025 WL 2466997 (9th Cir. Aug. 27, 2025)]

It does not appear that the congressional plan has yet been challenged in court.

Washington’s commission released final maps (along with a final report) for congressional and state legislative districts on Jan. 1, 2012.  With a 2/3 vote in each house, the state legislature passed a slightly amended version of those plans (HCR 4409), on Feb. 1, 2012, formally signed on Feb. 7, 2012.

The plans were briefly challenged in state court, but then those challenges were withdrawn.  [In re 2012 Wash. State Redistricting Plan, No. 86976-6 (Wash. S. Ct. Nov. 2d, 2012)]

Washington’s commission adopted congressional plans on Jan. 2, 2002, and state legislative plans on Dec. 17, 2001.  With a 2/3 vote in each house, the legislature made two minor adjustments (SCR 8429, SCR 8430) to the state legislative plan on Feb. 11, 2002.

It does not appear that either plan was challenged in court.