Rep. Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis, asks a question while Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, looks on at the fourth annual Cascade Legislative Forum last month.
Sen. John Braun is calling for the state to divide legislative districts into two distinct House districts through a bill he cosponsored with Sen. Mark Mullet, D-Issaquah, stating he believes the legislation will increase the ability of lawmakers to contact voters.
Braun also said Senate Bill 6244 would diversify geographic representation.
This year’s Legislature is set to review a variety of voting reforms, according to a press release from Braun’s office.
Currently, two house members are elected from each of the state’s 49 legislative districts that elect one senator.
“Smaller legislative districts improve a lawmaker’s ability to reach the people they represent,” Braun, R-Centralia, said. “Increased geographical diversity brings broader perspectives and local knowledge into play. Smaller districts also bring communities together and reduce the influence of money in campaigns given the ability to directly contact voters.”
Braun’s plan directs the 2021 Washington State Redistricting Commission to establish new boundaries for the 2022 election. The same guidelines that currently pertain to the redistricting process would apply to the newly drawn House districts. That includes equal population and contiguous boundaries of the districts.
Washington is one of only five states where House and Senate seats have the same boundaries. Other states include Idaho, Arizona, New Jersey and South Dakota. Ten other states, including Oregon, have House districts divided up within a Senate district.
Braun’s plan is similar to a 2011 proposal sponsored by Rep. Hans Dunshee, a former Democratic representative from the 44th legislative district.
He has asked the chair of the Senate State Government, Tribal Relations and Elections Committee to hold a public hearing on the measure.
