Tacoma, Washington – Voting and civil rights groups are suing Washington state officials over a state redistricting plan that violates the federal Voting Rights Act and dilutes the voting strength of Latino voters, according to a lawsuit filed Jan. 19, 2022.

Campaign Legal Center (CLC), MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), the UCLA Voting Rights Project and attorney Edwardo Morfin of the Morfin Law Firm in Kennewick, Washington, filed the lawsuit on behalf of individual Latino Washington voters and a non-profit organization committed to fair redistricting in that state. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

“The Washington State Redistricting Commission’s proposed state legislative map dilutes the voting power of Latinos in the Yakima Valley and Pasco regions, denying them an equal opportunity to elect candidates of choice, as is required under the Voting Rights Act,” said Mark Gaber, senior director, redistricting at Campaign Legal Center (CLC). “Federal and state courts have twice invalidated election systems that discriminate against Yakima Valley’s Latino voters. The Commission’s refusal to learn from these court decisions has necessitated this third lawsuit. The discriminatory voting practices against Latino voters in the Yakima Valley must end.”

“The Washington State Redistricting Commission unfortunately joins a long list of state authorities over the last 20 years that have sought to stem the growing power of the Latino vote in the face of demographic trends,” stated MALDEF staff attorney Ernest I. Herrera. “We ask a federal court to give Latinos in Washington state the electoral opportunity that the Commission denied them.”

According to the complaint, the Washington State Redistricting Commission in November drew its adopted state legislative district plan in such a way that Latino voters will not be able to elect state legislative candidates of their choice in the 15th Legislative District. Attorneys argue that the plan for Yakima Valley, which includes two counties that have majority-Latino populations, disperses Latino voters across several legislative districts with white majorities, a practice known as “cracking.” Instead, the suit claims, commissioners should have drawn a legislative district that actually gives Latino voters an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. According to the 2020 Census, Latinos accounted for over 30 percent of total population growth over the last decade in Washington.

Attorneys argue that the redistricting plans intentionally violate Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act which prohibits discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and language.

“The fight to defend our democracy and ensure the voting rights of all Americans is taking place through battles in county and state courthouses all across the nation. In Yakima Valley, Latinos have driven the region’s population growth and it is imperative that Washington State does not dilute the ability of Latino voters to meaningfully exercise the right to choose candidates that represent their community’s needs,” said Sonni Waknin, UCLA Voting Rights Project managing attorney and voting rights counsel.

Attorneys are asking the federal court to prevent Washington state from using the maps and instead adopt a plan that includes a majority-Latino state legislative district in the Yakima Valley region that does not dilute the voting strength of Latino voters.

The lawsuit names as defendants Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, Washington State House Speaker Laurie Jinkins and Washington State Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig.

Plaintiffs include eight individual voters from the Yakima Valley and the Southcentral Coalition of People of Color for Redistricting, a non-profit organization whose members include Latino registered voters who reside in the Yakima Valley region and Yakima County.

Read the complaint HERE.

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Trevor Potter, president of Campaign Legal Center (CLC), and a Republican Former Chairman of the Federal Election Commission, released the below statement ahead of Senate debate of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act:

"I, like many of you, am anxious to see what will happen on the Senate floor starting today. With the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act (H.R. 5746), the U.S. Senate has an opportunity to require a strong, free and fair voting system in this country and ensure the ability for every American to participate in safe, accessible and transparent elections.

In the year since the 2020 elections, which saw record-breaking voter turnout, numerous states across our country have responded to that turnout by passing new laws designed to make it harder for some citizens to vote.

In response, the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act has been crafted to implement crucial measures aimed at strengthening our democracy. It aims to achieve goals that have long had bipartisan support and are viewed favorably by a majority of Americans. These goals include prohibiting gerrymandering, increasing disclosure of money spent in federal elections, protecting the freedom to vote and fighting election sabotage by protecting the independence of election officials.

These basic improvements to our election system should never have become partisan issues. But in the Senate, with the chamber’s current structure, that is what they have become.

It is so critically important that the Senate begin debate on H.R. 5746 this afternoon. It is also crucial that Senators take the time to publicly discuss and debate this bill that such a significant topic requires. For far too long, these measures have languished due to obstruction by political actors who ignore the calls of their constituents as they adhere to other loyalties.

What this bill deserves and what the American people deserve is a full and honest debate on the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act."

Trevor Potter, president of Campaign Legal Center (CLC), and a Republican Former Chairman of the Federal Election Commission, released the below statement following the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act (H.R. 5746):

“As the 2022 midterms rapidly approach, Congress is doing what needs to be done to advance legislation protecting the freedom to vote. Protecting our democracy is not a partisan issue. 

The U.S. Senate now has the opportunity to restore a strong, free and fair voting system in this country and ensure the ability for every American to participate in safe, accessible and transparent elections. This bill contains crucial measures to strengthen our democracy — to prohibit gerrymandering, disclose money spent in federal elections, protect the freedom to vote and fight election sabotage by strengthening protections for the independence of election officials. These should not be partisan issues.

This legislation not only addresses recently enacted threats to our democratic institutions but addresses concerns that have long been problematic. It is imperative that it pass.”