(The Center Square) – While some might call it political theater, state lawmakers held a public hearing on Wednesday for a mid-decennial redistricting effort that has almost no chance of passing this session.
House Joint Resolution 4209 follows attempts in ten states to redraw their congressional maps a few years ahead of schedule. California, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Utah have implemented new maps, with Virginia, South Carolina, Florida and Maryland recently starting the process as well.
The proposed constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the state Legislature before landing on a ballot for voters to decide. Democrats hold majorities in each chamber, but will require bipartisan support to carve out the state’s only two congressional Republican districts.
“When states do decide to go down that road,” House Majority Leader Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon testified to the House State Government & Tribal Relations Committee on Wednesday, “they cannot, for the sake of the survival of our constitutional republic, be one-sided. I do not think that our federal republic will survive very long if only one party can tilt the playing field to their partisan advantage, as we’ve seen.”
If eventually approved by voters, HB 4209 would allow the Legislature to redraw congressional lines mid-decade with a simple majority in each chamber as long as another state amends its maps first.
Rep. Kevin Waters, R-Stevenson, asked where the proposal was coming from, given that Democrats already control the state’s congressional delegation. U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, and U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, represent the only two Republican congressional districts left.
State Reps. Timm Ormsby and Natasha Hill, two Spokane Democrats, both sponsored HJR 4209 with Fitzgibbon and three other Democrats. The party has controlled the Legislature and state delegation for years, and hopes to secure another congressional majority during next year’s midterm elections.
Any seats they can flip, whether in Washington or other states, would advance the party’s interests.
Fitzgibbon argued that Republicans aren’t at a partisan disadvantage holding the presidency and both chambers of Congress, though each party has swapped control over the years. He supports launching a nationwide nonpartisan redistricting effort, but said President Donald Trump chose a different path.
California and other states cited Trump’s statements last summer that Republicans were “entitled” to five more congressional seats in Texas as the justification for launching their own redistricting efforts.
“I was also raised where two wrongs don't make a right,” Waters told Fitzgibbon during the hearing.
Only five people signed up to testify on Wednesday, none of whom expressed support for HJR 4209.
Some support reforming the state’s redistricting process, but said doing so mid-cycle is “dangerous.”
While only a handful of people testified, more than 1,100 individuals signed in virtually to state their opposition, with only about a dozen doing so in support or listing "other."
Rep. Jim Walsh, who chairs the Washington State Republican Party, questioned why the state would weaken its “strong bipartisan process” in a “reactive response” to “inferior” systems. Fitzgibbon said he “chafes” at remarks like those Trump made last summer and argued that it’s now too risky to wait.
“Is chafing at what a politician says, sufficient grounds to amend our state constitution?” Walsh said.
Alison McCaffree, chair of the League of Women Voters of Washington’s Redistricting Reform Task Force for the last seven years, testified as “other” on Wednesday. She said “mid-cycle redistricting is dangerous” and sets a precedent that could disenfranchise voters based on race or political affiliation.
Sharon Hanek, who previously served on the Pierce County Redistricting Commission, voiced similar concerns, questioning how this process would provide a fair outcome amid such a polarized climate.
Citizen lobbyist Antony Mixer reminded Fitzgibbon that his party lacks the votes to pass HJR 4209.
“This is a constitutional amendment that requires a two-thirds vote in each chamber. Those votes do not exist, so we are wasting time hearing this,” Mixer said.
Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen previously told The Center Square that he doesn’t support a mid-decade redistricting attempt in Washington, nor does he see a path for it to pass in his chamber.
Gov. Bob Ferguson told The Center Square earlier this month that he supports what California did with its own redistricting, but noted that Washington state lacks the votes to launch a mid-decade attempt.
“I would never want to change our system, but obviously, the rules have changed. States like Texas are doing what they're doing,” Ferguson said during a Jan. 9 press conference. “I don't think some states play with one set of rules on redistricting, and states like Washington play with a different set of rules.”
“If I'd been governor of California,” he said. “I would have proposed exactly what Gavin Newsom did.”
