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November 2023 Election: You Will Vote for Councilmembers Based on your New District
Technically, District boundary changes don't go into effect until January 2024, but in the November 2023 elections you will be selecting Councilmembers that reflect the new boundaries. That means if your boundary has changed, you will be voting for representatives in your future District. Your ballot will reflect this change. Nothing has changed for the current City Council. All of the current Councilmembers will keep representing the same people along the same district boundaries until their terms end.
In 2023, seven of the nine City Council seats will be up for election. Candidates will be running for office based on the newly developed district boundaries. When they take office in January 2024, they will be representing people based on the new district boundaries.
Final City Council District Plan
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Seattle Redistricting Timeline
| OCTOBER 2021 Commission formed. |
| FEB-MAY 2022 Public Redistricting Process began with education and public comment. |
| MAY-JULY 2022 Public Forums in each District with four map draft proposals. |
| JULY-AUG 2022 Commission created and published final proposal. |
| AUG-SEPT-OCT 2022 Commission solicited public comment on final proposal. |
| NOV 2022 Commission approved and filed final map. |
Seattle Redistricting Overview
In 2022, Seattle will be adjusting the boundary lines of the seven Seattle City Council Districts to ensure that each district has the same amount of people. The redistricting process is done for every government body that uses district elections and takes place after each decennial census. As directed by Seattle Charter, the redistricting process requires a Commission of five appointed Seattle residents, who will be working with the most recent decennial census data, a set of rules, technical mapping expertise and public input to create new City Council district maps
Commission Structure
The Redistricting Commission consists of five members:
- Two Commissioners are appointed by the City Council, confirmed via a two-thirds vote of the Council.
- Two Commissioners are appointed by the Mayor.
- One Commissioner is appointed by the initial four members of the Commission, approved via a majority vote.
Commission Responsibilities
- Appoint a District Master: After the five members of the Redistricting Commission have been appointed, they select a District Master. The District Master will draft the districting plan and have the qualified education, training and experience to do so. -The Seattle Redistricting Commission voted to refer to this position as the Districting GIS Consultant as opposed to District Master.
- Conduct Open Public Meetings: All meetings of the Commission will be open to the public.
- Organize Public Forums: The Commission will organize and facilitate public forums to solicit community input from across the City, holding at least one public meeting in each existing City Council district (these meetings may be conducted virtually as provided for by applicable law and COVID-19 safety protocols).
- Develop and Release a Draft District Plan Proposal: By November 15, 2022 (or a later date as provided for by applicable law), the Commission will develop and make public a district plan proposal. The proposal will be approved by majority vote of the Commission. After the draft proposal is released, the Commission will take public comment.
- Approve a Final Districts Plan: After public comment, the Redistricting Commission will approve a final districts plan by majority vote.
Rules for Redrawing Districts
District boundaries will be drawn in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws, including but not limited to the following rules:
- Produce compact and contiguous districts that are not gerrymandered.
- The population of the largest district shall not exceed the population of the smallest district by more than one percent.
- The new City Council district boundaries will not be based on the residence of any person.
When practical, new boundaries should follow:
- Existing district boundaries
- Waterways and geographic boundaries
- Seattle communities and neighborhoods
Every 10 years, after the U.S. Census, districts are redrawn to ensure that each local, state and federal lawmaker represents the same number of people. In Seattle, the Redistricting Commission also draws new maps for City Council districts to make sure each district has about the same number of people.
In 2013, Seattle voters adopted an amendment (Resolution 31464) to the City of Seattle Charter that established the city's current system of district elections as well as a Redistricting Commission to be formed after each census to determine a districting plan.
In 2022, Seattle will be adjusting the boundary lines of the seven Seattle City Council Districts to ensure that each district has the same amount of people. The redistricting process is done for every government body that uses district elections and takes place after each decennial census. As directed by Seattle Charter, the redistricting process requires a Commission of five appointed Seattle residents, who will be working with the most recent decennial census data, a set of rules, technical mapping expertise and public input to create new City Council district maps.
Redistricting matters because the drawing of district lines determines who represents you in elected office. Areas that are included - and excluded - from these districts impacts which communities will have a voice in selecting their representative. It also affects which communities will have influence with their elected officials.
Communities and populations in Seattle change and grow over time. According to City of Seattle Charter Amendment of 2013, Seattle will redraw the boundaries of City Council districts every 10 years after the federal government publishes updated census information. Seattle redraws the boundaries of its City Council districts to ensure that each district represents an approximately equal number of residents.
In 2013 Seattle voters adopted an amendment for a Redistricting Commission of Seattle Residents to be formed after each census to determine a redistricting plan. The City of Seattle Redistricting Commission is made of five Commissioners and a Districting Master. Two Commissioners are appointed by City Council, Two Commissioners are appointed by the Mayor, and the final Commissioner is appointed by the other four Redistricting Commissioners.
The Commission then selects a Districting Master, who will be responsible for drawing new City Council district boundaries using mapping software and data analysis, after taking public comments into account. The Commission must draw the district lines following strict, nonpartisan rules to create districts with nearly equal populations that will allow for fair representation for all Seattleites.