Montes v Yakima 10 Years Later. The Fight for fairer elections in Washington. A map of Washington with 5 red stars highlighting different cities, and 3 cut out photos of the state seal and voting.
Ten years ago, the ACLU of Washington won a landmark victory in Montes v. Yakima, a voting rights case that reformed the City of Yakima’s voting system. A federal court ruled the city had violated the Federal Voting Rights Act because the at-large voting system use in Yakima City Council elections diluted the Latinx community’s votes. Yakima changed its at-large election system to a by-district voting system, giving Latinx residents a fairer chance to elect candidates of their choice. Several Washington jurisdictions changed their at-large electoral systems in the years that followed, and the state Legislature passed the Washington voting Rights Act in 2018 to make it easier for jurisdictions to change their electoral systems without costly litigation. The ACLU-WA celebrates the legacy of the Montes case a decade later. The case showed a path forward toward fairer elections, and the ACLU-WA intends to continue the work started by Montes.
 
Montes v Yakima 10 Years Later

The Washington Voting Rights Act in Action

A timeline of reforms that have created fairer elections in Washington