Redistricting deadline nears

By David Ammons

Associated Press

OLYMPIA — This capital city and Everett remain key sticking points as the citizen Redistricting Commission races the clock to redraw the state’s congressional boundaries.

The panel — including two Republicans and two Democrats — also is reconfiguring the 49 legislative districts. Commissioners, who must act by midnight Saturday, have begun working full time on the politically touchy task and on Wednesday expressed optimism that they’ll meet the deadline.

If they stumble, the mapmaking shifts to the state Supreme Court, meaning the two political parties would lose their voice in how districts are drawn. As it is, the governor has no role in redistricting and the Legislature can make only minor changes.

Most of the Eastern Washington lines are complete, both for congressional and legislative districts, but commissioners still are struggling to find consensus in other areas.

No one was predicting how the discussion will turn out.

Everett continues to be in dispute, as it was when the boundaries were last redrawn 10 years ago.

The GOP congressional map submitted by the two Republican delegates Wednesday would move Everett, Mukilteo and Edmonds into the 1st District, along with Shoreline, Woodinville, Kirkland and Redmond in King County and Bainbridge Island and other portions of Kitsap County.

Derham said Everett shares more in common with the Seattle suburbs than it does with the more rural area to the north and east.

Democrats, though, are insisting that Everett continue to be the southern anchor of the 2nd District, which would stretch north through Mount Vernon to the San Juan Islands, Bellingham and the Canadian border, as it does now.

Derham said the northern and southern borders of Seattle continue to be a problem. One question, for instance, is whether to put all of Renton in the 7th Congressional District, as Democrats propose, or to put part of it in the 8th, as the GOP wants.

Olympia voters have been in the 3rd, 6th and 9th congressional districts, depending on the proposal being considered. Historically, the capital city has been in the 3rd, with the 9th including part of the eastern portion of Thurston County, including the rapidly growing area outside Lacey.

Democrats want to keep as much of the area in the 3rd as possible, but acknowledge that Thurston County has to be divided into two districts. Republicans have divided the area into as many as three districts.

On Wednesday, Republican negotiators agreed to keep Tumwater and West Olympia in the 3rd, with the 9th reaching into Lacey precincts. To achieve that, the GOP proposal places all of Grays Harbor County in the 6th District represented by Democrat Norm Dicks.

Commissioner Dick Derham said that county has strong ties to the rest of the Olympic Peninsula, including a natural resource base. The shift also would keep Grays Harbor County in one district, as area residents requested, he noted.

The Democrats’ map continues to place Aberdeen and Hoquiam in the 6th, as they are now, with the southern portion of Grays Harbor County staying in the 3rd.

Using data from the 2000 Census, Washington must be carved into nine congressional districts of about 650,000 people each. The 49 legislative districts must be drawn with about 120,000 people apiece.

The commission has scheduled meetings for both Friday and Saturday at its Olympia headquarters.

Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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