In the decade since Montes v. Yakima, several Washington jurisdictions have changed their electoral systems from at-large to by-district elections. Here is a timeline of how the Federal Voting Rights Act and the Washington Voting Rights Act have played a role in reforms that have created fairer elections in Washington.
Washington Voting Rights: A History
For accessibility, here is the text and citations included in the timeline above.
1971
U.S. Supreme Court orders the end of use of literacy tests in the Yakima Valley[i].2002
DOJ forces Yakima County to comply with the Federal Voting Rights Act by translating voting materials into Spanish after over 25 years of non-compliance.2011
Yakima Proposition 1: Proposal to amend the Yakima City Charter to change council elections from at-large to district based loses despite 98.2 percent of the Latinx vote because white voters overwhelmingly rejected it.[ii]2014
August 22, 2014: A federal court grants summary judgment, finding a... Violation against the City of Yakima[iii]. The case was filed in 2012, when the ACLU-WA sued the City of Yakima for a Federal Voting Rights Violation.2017
May 4, 2017: Remedial plan is implemented in Pasco to remedy FVRA violation[iv]. The case was filed in 2016, when the ACLU-WA sued Pasco for a FVRA violation[v].2018
- March 20, 2018: Washington Voting Rights Act (WVRA) is signed into law.[vi]
- August 9, 2018: Wenatchee City Council changes election system based on WVRA[vii].
2019
Washington passes the Native American Voting Rights Act, improving voting access for the state’s Indigenous community[viii].2020
- January 24, 2020: Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation serve notice on Ferry County of WVRA violation[ix].
- August 30, 2021: Yakima County Board of Commissioners agreed to district-based election system in response to a WVRA claim[x].
2022
- April 12, 2022: Wenatchee voluntarily changes School District Election System using WVRA [11].
- May 9, 2022: Franklin County settles WVRA claim with UCLA. The UCLA Voting Rights Project gave notice of intent to file suit under the WVRA to Franklin County in 2020 [12].
2023
- March 5, 2023: Legislature strengthens WVRA
- June 15, 2023: Washington Supreme Court affirms constitutionality of WVRA [13].
- August 10, 2023: A federal court finds that the 15th Legislative District in Washington dilutes Latinx votes after trial [14]
2024
- April 16, 2024: ACLU-WA and Amend Law, on behalf of Empowering Latina Leadership & Action, gives notice to the Sunnyside School District of Intent to sue under the WVRA because the school district’s electoral system dilutes Latinx votes [15].
- June 2024: The Sunnyside School District agrees to change its electoral system to by-district voting. This came after the ACLU-WA and Amend Law, on behalf of Empowering Latina Leadership & Action, gave notice to the school district of intent to sue under the WVRA because the district’s at-large electoral system diluted Latinx votes
Sources
[i] Jimenez v. Naff, 400 U.S. 986, 91 S.Ct. 448 (1971).
[ii] Expert report of Engstrom, Montes v. Yakima
[iii] Montes v. City of Yakima, 40 F. Supp. 3d 1377 (E.D. Wash. 2014)
[vii] Wenatchee Ordinance No. 2018-19 – Establishes voting districts for City Councilmember positions (2018) (mrsc.org)
[x] Victory: Yakima County Latino Leaders Achieve Historic Settlement with Board of Commissioners | OneAmerica (weareoneamerica.org)
Click to view the Montes v. Yakima: 10 years later landing page
Image Credits
- GregDPhotos, "Ballot Proposition Rejected"
- Public Domain, "Seal of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington", Da Search media - Wikimedia Commons
- "Aranda Glatt v. City of Pasco"
- Michael Rolands, "Voting Booths Ready for Use"
- Federal Communications Commissions, "P1010021", 2010
- Allen4names, "Franklin County Courthouse in Pasco, Washington", 2010.
- Aricci526, Dbenbenn, Current seal designed by Richard Nelms in 1967 based on a portrait of George Washington painted by: Gilbert Stuart, "The Seal of the State of Washington", via Wikemedia Commons.
Click to view the Montes v. Yakima: 10 years later landing page
