Opinion ID: 1132814
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: apportionment and districting in washington

Text: The legislative history of reapportionment and redistricting in Washington is short, as it is in most states, because the constitutional provisions, to which I have referred, have been more honored in their breach than in their observance. The first state legislature (1889-90) adjourned without accomplishing the constitutional task of districting and apportionment assigned it. This was done at a special session of the legislature September 3 through 11, 1890. Laws of 1890, special session, p. 1 (1 Hill's Code, § 37 et seq. ) In 1901, the legislature reapportioned and redistricted anew the members of the senate and house of representatives. Laws of 1901, chapter 60, p. 79. (The act was passed over the governor's veto.) For fifty-six years  from 1901 until 1957 when the legislature passed Laws of 1957, chapter 289, which is involved in the present problem  our successive legislatures ignored the provisions of Art. II, § 3, of the state constitution, quoted supra. It is true that throughout the years many mechanical and boundary changes of particular districts have been made by legislative acts, but none of them acquired the dignity of apportionment anew ... according to the number of inhabitants as described in the constitution. The reasons for this legislative lethargy are neither simple nor clear cut. They are a fusion of conflicting political, social, economic, and geographic considerations sprinkled with partisan interests and the influences of special groupings of population. To a great extent, these various forces have canceled each other. Lest this be interpreted as a criticism of our past legislatures, I hasten to point out that the experience of this state parallels the experience of most states. In varying degrees, they have all been affected by this system of silent gerrymandering. See Todd: The Apportionment Problem Faced by the States. 17 Law and Contemporary Problems 314 et seq. (1952). In 1930, the people, by initiative No. 57, redistricted the state and reapportioned seats in the legislature. Laws of 1931, chapter 2, p. 31. (See, Webster: Voters Take the Law in Hand, 35 National Municipal Review 240 (1946).) It required a writ of mandate of this court to compel the secretary of state to file the initiative petition. State ex rel. Miller v. Hinkle, 156 Wash. 289, 286 Pac. 839 (1930). The constitutionality of the initiative was upheld in State ex rel. Christensen v. Hinkle, 169 Wash. 1, 13 P. (2d) 42 (1932). In the legislation to which I have alluded, a combination of various geographic units has been used to define the boundaries and areas of senatorial and representative districts. These units consist, in the main, of (a) counties or a combination of two or more contiguous counties, (b) voting precincts, (c) towns, (d) townships, and (e) areas described in terms of Federal land surveys. (See Laws of 1933, chapter 74, p. 358.) In Washington, the voting precinct is of a transitory nature. If, at any election, more than three hundred voters cast ballots, the proper authorities shall divide such precincts into two or more precincts with two hundred fifty voters or less in each precinct. RCW 29.04.040. This is to equalize the work of precinct election boards. The boundaries of such precincts are established either by the city council, the board of county commissioners, or the board of supervisors of a township  for voting purposes. RCW 29.01.120. In addition, if ten or more voters reside more than ten miles from the polling place, upon petition, the board of county commissioners shall establish a separate voting precinct therefor. RCW 29.04.040. It was proper for previous legislation to use the voting or election precinct as a unit of population in grouping legislative districts, because all Federal censuses, prior to the census of 1950, enumerated the inhabitants upon that basis. Volume I, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, Population, Number of Inhabitants, is an official publication of the United States department of commerce, bureau of census. The contents of this volume may be judicially noticed by us. ( Martin v. Tollefson, 24 Wn. (2d) 211, 219, 163 P. (2d) 594 (1945).) On page 1123 appears the following: Minor civil divisions.  To the primary political divisions into which the counties are subdivided the Census Bureau applies the general term `minor civil divisions.' The primary divisions of the counties in Washington are the election precincts, townships, and some of the cities and towns. (Only Spokane and Whatcom Counties have townships, cities, and towns as primary divisions, though there is also one township in King County.) (Italics mine.) The 1950 Federal census  an actual enumeration of the inhabitants  discontinued the use of the election precinct as a unit of population for the reasons hereafter noted. On page XII of Census of Population: 1950, Vol. II, Characteristics of the Population, Part 47, Washington, appears the following: Minor civil divisions.  To the primary political divisions into which counties are divided, the Bureau of the Census applies the general term `minor civil divisions.' The minor civil divisions shown for the State of Washington in previous censuses were the election precincts, a few townships, and some of the cities and towns. The election precincts are unsatisfactory for statistical purposes, because their boundaries change so frequently as to make comparisons of data from one period to another impossible. Accordingly, these minor civil divisions were replaced in the 1950 Census by census county divisions, which are newly established special areas which will remain as relatively permanent statistical areas comparable to the minor civil divisions in other states. (Italics mine.) Table 6 of this volume (pp. 47-10 to 47-13) sets forth the 1950 population of each county in the state. Under the name of each county is listed the population of each county census tract and the population of each town used as a unit of population. County population equals the total number of inhabitants in the minor civil divisions into which each county has been divided. Pages 47-21 to 47-39 contain the Census County Division Descriptions; tables 7, 8, and 9 (pp. 47-14 to 47-16) set forth the population of towns and cities. The tables are followed by boundary descriptions of the census tracts of the more heavily populated urbanized areas. (pp. 47-17 et seq. ) Thus, the number of inhabitants and geographic boundaries of each county census tract are determined. This brings me to a consideration of initiative No. 199, which the voters of this state approved at the general election November 6, 1956. A month later, the governor proclaimed the measure to be law. Laws of 1957, chapter 5. Initiative No. 199 does not use the election precinct as a unit of population for the purpose of forming senatorial and legislative districts. The heart of the initiative, which establishes the theory of redistricting and reapportionment, reads: Sec. 56. Census tracts referred to herein are all the political divisions, subdivisions, census tracts and other terms to describe census divisions used in the current census division system used and approved by the United States Bureau of the Census of the United States Department of Commerce and the detailed descriptions of said division together with detailed maps are one file and available in the Office of Population Research and Washington State Census Board or United States Bureau of Census and the boundaries of census tracts referred to herein are the same boundaries as are shown upon the official documents or maps maintained by or for the United States Bureau of the Census existing as of January 1, 1956, having the same corresponding numbers or names as given to census political divisions. Laws of 1957, chapter 5, p. 17. The remaining fifty-seven sections of the initiative implement § 56 and establish senatorial and representative districts by grouping census tracts and towns, instead of election precincts, where necessary. For example, § 41 of the initiative provides that the 39th senatorial district shall be composed of census tracts 6, 7, 8, 15, 16, 17, 18 of Snohomish county and the city of Everett. The population of each tract and the city of Everett appears in the source material to which I have referred. Initiative No. 199 does not abolish the election precinct. If a precinct should be divided by a boundary line of a new senatorial or legislative district, the proper authorities would have to make the proper adjustment; otherwise, initiative No. 199 would appear not to disturb them.