The Washington State Redistricting Commission—tasked with drawing up new voting districts at the congressional level to accommodate Washington State's new 10th District and, as they do every 10 years, tweak state-level legislative districts—will unveil its plans on September 13. The group has until June 2012 to finalize the new districts.

A press release from Redistricting Commission Chair Laura Powell states:

The Washington State Redistricting Commission has concluded its public forums and is generating first drafts of Commissioner plans for redrawing congressional and legislative districts statewide. The plans will be unveiled for the first time on Sept. 13, in Olympia. Development of the plans follows three months of input from the public about where the lines should go. The forums were conducted to help the Commissioners better understand the potential effects of changing the boundaries of legislative and congressional voting districts in those regions.[pullquote]A group of Democrats—state Reps. Marko Liias from Edmonds, Roger Goodman from Kirkland, and Steve Hobbs from Lake Stevens (in the 2nd Congressional District, actually), and former state Rep. Laura Ruderman from Kirkland—are all waiting with bated breath to see the map.[/pullquote]

From May through August, the Commission hosted 18 public forums statewide. About 1,000 people attended the forums in all. Attendance ranged from 25 people to more than 160, with average attendance  around 50. In addition to the public testimony given at the forums, the Commission received more than 170 written comments by email, postal mail and comment forms. Staff mailed 38 “do-it-yourself” map kits and received 21 third-party plans by the August 15 deadline. All written comments received and the submitted third-party plans may be viewed on the Commission’s website, www.redistricting.wa.gov.

The commission's map will add clarity to the scramble over US Rep. Jay Inslee's open seat in the existing 1st Congressional District, which covers part of Northwest Seattle, but mostly the suburbs north and east of Seattle including Shoreline, Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Bothell, Kirkland and Redmond along with Bainbridge Island and some of the Kitsap Peninsula.

A group of Democrats—state Reps. Marko Liias from Edmonds, Roger Goodman from Kirkland, and Steve Hobbs from Lake Stevens (in the 2nd Congressional District, actually), and former state Rep. Laura Ruderman from Kirkland—are all waiting with bated breath to see the map. US Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) is also thinking of running for Inslee's seat. Meanwhile, Democrat Suzan DelBene, who lives in the 8th Congressional District to the south, is also thinking of running. DelBene ran against US Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA, 8 ) in 2010.

PubliCola has heard the four caucuses (the Democratic and Republicans in both the house and senate) will all present plans. (The Seattle Times' Jim Brunner apparently heard the same thing .)

The commission has four voting members – two Republicans and two Democrats including Republican Slade Gorton and Democrat Tim Ceis who were appointed by the legislature earlier this year. Three of the four voting members must vote for the final product. The legislature then votes up or down.