Yakima Washington

Yakima City Council Settles on ACLU Map

By EditorApr 08, 2015

Washington: On Tuesday, the Yakima City Council decided not to appeal a recent federal court decision overturning its at-large election system and approving a district map drawn by one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit; the ACLU. Read more in the Yakima Herald Republic.

Local RedistrictingWashington, Yakima Washington

New Developments in Yakima, WA Vote Dilution Case

By EditorMar 19, 2015

Yakima, WA: The Yakima city council voted this week to give themselves more time to decide if the council will appeal a recent federal court ruling invalidating its at-large method of electing city council members. The Hispanic population in the city is 42% and Hispanic voters had been unable to an elect a candidate of their choosing in the at-large scheme. The court had to make a finding of racially polarized voting in past election to invalidate the at-large system. The recent court ruling required the city to divide voters into districts, both the city and the ACLU -who was a…

Local Redistricting, RedistrictingACLU, Washington, Yakima Washington

ACLU Seeking Millions in Yakima Voting Rights Lawsuit

By EditorMar 04, 2015

The city of Yakima lost a voting rights lawsuit against its at-large city council elections. Now the ACLU, which filed the lawsuit - wants court costs and attorneys fees. The group is asking for $2.8 million in its court filing.

Redistricting Race RulesACLU, Yakima Washington

Judge Chooses ACLU Map for Yakima, Washington City Council

By EditorFeb 18, 2015

Its official, the Yakima, Washington city council will now elect its members from seven single-member districts, two of which will have large Latino voting populations. The city had been sued by the ACLU for its at-large voting system and the effect it had on the Latino community. A federal district court found in favor the ACLU and directed both the city and the ACLU to offer a redistricting map that would afford the Latino population better representation. The court this week, chose the ACLU map. Read.

RedistrictingACLU, Washington, Yakima Washington

Quarterly Redistricting Update: January 2015

By EditorFeb 16, 2015

Arizona October 2014- The Supreme Court agreed to hear the Arizona State Legislature’s case against the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission - formed in 2000 when voters approved Proposition 106. This proposition amended the state constitution to assign the redistricting function to a 5 member body. The seminal question in this case is whether the U.S. Constitution’s Elections Clause allows the redistricting task to be delegated away from the legislature. As simple a question as that may seem, there are several other preliminary issues of law that could keep the high court from ever answering the question. There are issues of standing, justiciability…

UncategorizedArizona, Florida, Virginia, Yakima Washington

Quarterly Redistricting Update: October 2014

By EditorFeb 16, 2015

Florida Fair Districts Case In early July, a circuit court judge in Tallahassee ruled Florida’s congressional map did indeed violate the state’s Fair Districts amendments outlawing partisan influenced linedrawing. The 5th and 10th congressional districts were singled out by the court as requiring modification. The judge added that Florida’s Republican legislature made a “mockery” of the Fair Districts Amendments and used political consultants on the sly to draw the map. In early August, the legislature approved a new map, which made changes to 7 districts in total - but Common Cause, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, says the map does…

UncategorizedFlorida, North Carolina, quarterly updates, Texas, Yakima Washington