(The Center Square) – With the general election less than eight months away, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik adopted a new Washington state legislative map on Friday to create a majority-Latino voting district in central Washington.
Lasnik’s decision comes after his ruling in August 2023 in Soto Palmer v. Hobbs that legislative maps drawn in 2021 by the Washington State Redistricting Commission for the Yakima Valley “cracked” – or diluted – the Latino vote.
The decision was Lasnik’s as a result of the state and Secretary of State Steve Hobbs being sued after the Washington State Redistricting Commission completed its work. Plaintiffs claimed the original map failed to comply with the federal voting rights law.
The new map joins Latino communities from East Yakima in Yakima County to Pasco in Franklin County. In addition, the district was switched from the 15th Legislative District to the 14th Legislative
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