Yakima City Council Redistricting Charter Amendment (August 2011)

A Yakima City Council Redistricting Charter Amendment measure was on the August 16, 2011 ballot in the city of Yakima which is in Yakima County.

This measure was defeated

• YES 4,127 (41.51%)
• NO 5,815 (58.49%)d

This measure sought to dissolve the current council member districts and create seven new ones. Currently there are just four district from which members are elected from and three positions are at large. This would have made all seven council member seats from specific districts in the city.

Text of measure

The question on the ballot:

Adoption of amendment to the Charter of the City of Yakima to abandon and abolish the current districting for election of council members and to create seven districts for election of council members within the City of Yakima, and to make further ancillary and corrective amendments thereto. Proposition No. 1 concerns an amendment of the City of Yakima Charter. This measure would amend Charter Article ll to abandon and abolish the current districting for election of council members, consisting of four districts and three at-large positions, and adopting districting for election of council members consisting of seven districts; providing that each council member shall be elected by the voters of his or her district; establishing a temporary districting commission; providing that each council member may serve a maximum of ten consecutive years, and that for the election in 2011 only, council members elected from even-numbered districts shall be elected for a two year term, with subsequent terms being four year terms. Adoption of the proposition will also make ancillary and corrective amendments throughout Article ll of the Charter. Should this proposition be approved?

Additional reading

• Yakima Herald, "Propositions in Yakima - Vote no on 1 and yes on 2," August 13, 2011 (dead link)