Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Adams County would remain in District No. 9
RITZVILLE – Adams County will remain in the 9th Legislative District under four different proposals offered by the Redistricting Commission, but the surrounding areas may not.
The proposals come from House appointees Democrat April Sims and Republican Paul Graves, and Senate appointees Democrat Brady Walkinshaw and Republican Joe Fain.
Sims’ plan calls for the district to include all of Adams, Whitman, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin counties while adding small portions of Walla Walla, Grant and Spokane counties, including the cities of Cheney, Spangle, Royal City and growing areas on the south and east outskirts of Moses Lake.
Graves’ plan includes all of Adams, Whitman, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin Counties, as well as most of Franklin County.
His plan would drop portions of south Spokane County from the district and exclude the Pasco area of Franklin County. But, it would include all of the Moses Lake area. All of Walla Walla County would move into the 16th Legislative District, anchored by the Pasco population.
Walkinshaw’s plan would extend the 9th District north of Moses Lake in Grant County and north to the Spokane Valley city limit. The plan would include a larger swath of Spokane and Grant counties, while putting all of Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin Counties into the 16th District.
Franklin County would mostly be included in the 9th District, but the Pasco area would fall into the 16th District with Walla Walla.
Fain’s proposal would keep Adams, Garfield, Asotin and Whitman Counties fully intact within the 9th District. Franklin County, except for the greater Pasco area, would also remain.
Current areas of Spokane County in the district would be moved into the 6th Legislative District with Lincoln County, and the cities of Airway Heights, Medical Lake, Cheney, Spangle and Freeman, among others.
The proposals and maps were released last Tuesday.
“Tuesday was a big day during this year’s redistricting process, as each of the four Redistricting Commission members released a proposed map showing how he or she would redraw our state’s legislative district boundaries,” Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, said in an email.
Schoesler represents the 9th Legislative District along with Reps. Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy, and Joe Schmick, R-Colfax.
The four commissioners were expected to unveil their Congressional redistricting plans Tuesday, Sept. 28; those maps and proposals were not available at press time.
Redistricting comes in the following each U.S. Census every 10 years.
This year, the state’s Redistricting Commission has until Nov. 15 to approve new voting district boundaries.
The proposal will be provided to the Legislature at the beginning of the year.
Following legislative approval, the new districts would change voting areas after the 2022 general election.
Roger Harnack is co-owner and publisher of Free Press Publishing. An award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher who grew up in Eastern Washington, he's one of only two Washington state journalists ever to receive the international Golden Quill for editorial/commentary writing. Roger is committed to preserving local media, and along with it, a local voice for Eastern Washington.
Reader Comments(0)