Published:
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Ten years ago, the ACLU of Washington won a landmark victory in Montes v. Yakima, reshaping the voting system for Yakima residents. A decade later, and that case continues to be an example of how we can make elections in our state more fair and more democratic.
Montes challenged the City of Yakima’s at-large voting system, which elected city councilmembers at the time. In at-large election systems, every voter in a jurisdiction votes in each electoral race. It differs from by-district voting, in which an official represents just one district, and residents only elect the candidate from their district.
At-large voting systems, in many cases, conflict with our nation’s ideal of representative democracy. When there is racially polarized voting, at-large voting allows for one group of people to make decisions for the entire community, essentially blocking portions of the community from participation in the electoral process. They make elected officials unaccountable to certain groups because those groups are shut out of the electoral system.
The ACLU of Washington sued Yakima in 2012 arguing that the at-large system violated the federal Voting Rights Act. The system diluted the Latinx community’s votes, preventing the community from having a meaningful opportunity to elect candidates of their choice in City Council races. After two years of litigation, the court agreed, and in August 2014 a federal judge ordered Yakima to redraw its electoral maps and implement a single-member by-district voting system for its city council elections.
The change was a resounding success. Not only did Yakima experience an increase in voter turnout in the following election, but the city elected four new councilmembers, including three Latina councilmembers. Previously, the Latinx community had not been able to elect any candidates to the city council, despite making up a substantial portion of the voting population in Yakima.
In the decade since the Montes case, several Washington jurisdictions have changed their electoral systems from at-large to by-district voting. Some did this voluntarily while others had their systems challenged under the Federal Voting Rights Act or the Washington Voting Rights Act (WVRA), which passed the state Legislature in 2018. The WVRA allows for jurisdictions to change their voting systems without costly litigation.
Fast forward to 2024. The ACLU of Washington was back in the Yakima Valley, this time in Sunnyside, Washington, where the Sunnyside School District’s at-large voting process effectively prevented the Latinx community from having a say in Sunnyside School Board elections.
The ACLU of Washington, on behalf of Empowering Latina Leadership & Action (ELLA), sent a notice to the Sunnyside School District in April 2024 threatening to sue if the district did not change its electoral system. The Sunnyside School District reached a settlement agreement, and like other jurisdictions before it, will implement a by-district voting process.
Sunnyside, Yakima, and several other jurisdictions are examples of the change we are fighting for regarding voting rights in Washington.
We see a future where more jurisdictions move toward by-district elections. It is the best way to make sure everyone’s vote counts, and that communities’ interests are represented.
Montes v. Yakima opened the door for fairer elections. We intend to continue the work Montes started.
Click to view the Montes v. Yakima: 10 years later landing page
Montes challenged the City of Yakima’s at-large voting system, which elected city councilmembers at the time. In at-large election systems, every voter in a jurisdiction votes in each electoral race. It differs from by-district voting, in which an official represents just one district, and residents only elect the candidate from their district.
At-large voting systems, in many cases, conflict with our nation’s ideal of representative democracy. When there is racially polarized voting, at-large voting allows for one group of people to make decisions for the entire community, essentially blocking portions of the community from participation in the electoral process. They make elected officials unaccountable to certain groups because those groups are shut out of the electoral system.
The ACLU of Washington sued Yakima in 2012 arguing that the at-large system violated the federal Voting Rights Act. The system diluted the Latinx community’s votes, preventing the community from having a meaningful opportunity to elect candidates of their choice in City Council races. After two years of litigation, the court agreed, and in August 2014 a federal judge ordered Yakima to redraw its electoral maps and implement a single-member by-district voting system for its city council elections.
The change was a resounding success. Not only did Yakima experience an increase in voter turnout in the following election, but the city elected four new councilmembers, including three Latina councilmembers. Previously, the Latinx community had not been able to elect any candidates to the city council, despite making up a substantial portion of the voting population in Yakima.
In the decade since the Montes case, several Washington jurisdictions have changed their electoral systems from at-large to by-district voting. Some did this voluntarily while others had their systems challenged under the Federal Voting Rights Act or the Washington Voting Rights Act (WVRA), which passed the state Legislature in 2018. The WVRA allows for jurisdictions to change their voting systems without costly litigation.
Fast forward to 2024. The ACLU of Washington was back in the Yakima Valley, this time in Sunnyside, Washington, where the Sunnyside School District’s at-large voting process effectively prevented the Latinx community from having a say in Sunnyside School Board elections.
The ACLU of Washington, on behalf of Empowering Latina Leadership & Action (ELLA), sent a notice to the Sunnyside School District in April 2024 threatening to sue if the district did not change its electoral system. The Sunnyside School District reached a settlement agreement, and like other jurisdictions before it, will implement a by-district voting process.
Sunnyside, Yakima, and several other jurisdictions are examples of the change we are fighting for regarding voting rights in Washington.
We see a future where more jurisdictions move toward by-district elections. It is the best way to make sure everyone’s vote counts, and that communities’ interests are represented.
Montes v. Yakima opened the door for fairer elections. We intend to continue the work Montes started.
Click to view the Montes v. Yakima: 10 years later landing page
Court Case:
Montes v. City of Yakima
