Information

Type: Hearing - Resolution

Department: BOCC - Board of County Commissioners

Directors' Update: Dec. 15, 2021

Business Meeting: Dec. 21, 2021

Summary:

Alter voting boundaries in Lewis County

Publications:

Cover Letter To:

Additional Copies To: Larry Grove, Gary Hurley, Matt Hyatt, Tom Stanton, Terry Jouper

Resolution

WHEREAS, under the provisions of RCW 29A.76.010 and RCW 36.32.020, the Lewis County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) is required to divide Lewis County into three commissioner districts, with each district comprising -- as nearly as possible -- one-third of the population of the county; and

WHEREAS, the BOCC also must ensure that voting precincts are not divided by commissioner district lines; and

WHEREAS, RCW 29A.76.010 also requires the following: 

• Districts are as compact as possible.
• Districts consist of geographically contiguous area.
• Districts are not used for purposes of favoring or disfavoring any racial group or political party.
• To the extent feasible, districts must coincide with existing recognized natural boundaries and preserve existing communities of related and mutual interest

WHEREAS, the BOCC must prepare a redistricting plan for the commissioner district boundaries every 10 years based on new data from the U.S. Census Bureau; and

WHEREAS, due to a new law the state Legislature passed in 2021 (SSB 5013, which amended RCWs 29A.76.010 and 29A.92.050), Lewis County must submit its redistricting plan by December 31, 2021, instead of “no later than eight months after receipt of the federal decennial census data,” as previously prescribed; and

WHEREAS, the county's redistricting plan must reflect changes adopted by that commission, the Washington State Redistricting Commission (WSRC), and approved by the state Legislature; and

WHEREAS, though the WSRC missed its Nov. 15, 2021, deadline for submitting its plan for congressional and legislative redistricting to the state Legislature, the state Supreme Court on Dec. 3, 2021, indicated it will allow the WSRC's work to continue as set forth in article II, section 43 and chapter 44.05 RCW; and

WHEREAS, the BOCC passed Resolution 21-414 on November 30, 2021, setting December 14, 2021, as the date of the first hearing on the county's redistricting plan and December 21, 2021, as the date of its second hearing on the matter; and

WHEREAS, notice of the two hearings was published in The Chronicle on December 4, 2021, and December 11, 2021, and in The East County Journal on December 8, 2021; and

WHEREAS, the Lewis County Auditor's Office and the Lewis County Geographic Information Systems (GIS) team have worked together to create options for redrawing the boundaries of the three commissioner districts in an effort to make them more proportionally equal in population; and

WHEREAS, the BOCC held its first hearing Dec. 14, 2021, and its second hearing Dec. 21, 2021.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the BOCC hereby alters voting boundaries in Lewis County as outlined in Option 3, attached hereto as Exhibit A; and

NOW THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the County Auditor shall designate each voting precinct within the county by consecutive number for the purpose of preparation of maps and tabulation of voter population; shall provide a common name for each precinct; shall provide the voters impacted by these changes with new voter identification cards, and shall provide to the Secretary of State a copy of the legal descriptions and maps of all precinct changes as prepared by the Lewis County GIS staff.

DONE IN OPEN SESSION this 21st day of December, 2021.