When it comes to redistricting in WA, gridlock might be a good thing

Keeping the gerrymander at bay may mean passing the buck.

A coalition called Redistricting Justice for Washington is pushing for communities of color, and especially working class communities of color, to be better represented. The coalition hopes to put the 9th Congressional District, which now ranges from Tacoma in the south to Bellevue in the north, on track to have a majority-minority voting-eligible population within the next few years. Another priority is to strengthen and create more majority-minority legislative districts around the state, from the Yakima Valley and the Tri-Cities to South King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.

To these ends, the coalition has proposed some maps of its own. While broadly speaking the Democratic proposals come closer, the coalition has criticized all four commissioners’ maps for diluting the potential electoral power of working class communities of color.

Ultimately, truly equitable solutions may go beyond drawing new lines. In a video analysis of the commissioners’ maps by Redistricting Justice for Washington, Kamau Chege, director of the Washington Community Alliance, argued for a system of proportional representation. Instead of single winner-takes-all districts, for example, we could have a smaller number of multiwinner districts and a system of ranked choice voting, making it possible for communities that don’t constitute a majority to still elect a candidate of choice. “Having multiwinner districts means it’s impossible for parties to gerrymander,” said Chege.