Judge Rules New WA Legislative District Map can be Used in This Year’s Elections

(Yakima, WA) -- A judge is allowing Washington state's new redistricting map to stand for this year's election cycle despite a pair of lawsuits concerning the new political boundaries in Central Washington. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik issued an order late last week saying it's too close to this year's election to prohibit the use of the new map. A group of voters and civil rights organizations accuse the new redistricting plan of violating the federal Voting Rights Act and intentionally diluting Latinx voter influence in the Yakima Valley. A second lawsuit alleges the new boundaries of a Yakima Valley voting district constitute illegal racial gerrymandering.

The Voting Rights Act lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial next January.