Reply #12: My son is in Olympia, WA, which is likely to get the new district there

[starroute]

I sent him a link a few days ago to an article on a potential Kucinich candidacy there and he was thrilled.

The situation in Washington is one to keep an eye on, by the way. Olympia is currently split down the middle, with the side where my kids live attached to an otherwise heavily rural Congressional district that last fall swapped its Blue Dog Democrat for a Tea Party Republican.

The redistricting is still in the process of being worked out, but articles I've seen suggest that whatever the exact details, Olympia is likely to be the heart of a new district that would be seriously progressive.

http://www.redistricting.wa.gov/

In early 2011, a new commission was appointed. Majority and minority leaders in the Legislature selected two Republicans and two Democrats to serve as voting members. The four voting commissioners then selected a non-voting chairman. This bipartisan approach ensures that neither party obtains an unfair advantage in the way redistricting is accomplished.

The plan — when developed — establishes the new boundaries for the 2012 elections.

While the commission has significant autonomy in developing a plan, they follow established legal standards. The guiding principles for creating a redistricting plan include:

• each district shall have a population, excluding non-resident military personnel, as nearly equal as practicable to the population of any other district;

• district lines should be drawn to coincide with local political subdivisions (such as city and county lines) and communities of interest;

• districts should be convenient, contiguous (share a common land border or transportation route) compact;

• 49 legislative and 10 congressional districts must be drawn based on state law and federal apportionment totals;

• plans should be drawn to provide fair and effective representation and encourage electoral competition;

• plans shall not be drawn to purposely favor or discriminate against any political party or group.