Washington's congressional districts
Washington has ten congressional districts in the U.S. House. The number 10 came after the 2010 census. In the past, when Washington was a territory, it elected a non‑voting delegate to the House, and at times it also elected at‑large representatives.
The current Washington delegation consists of 10 members: 8 Democrats and 2 Republicans.
District boundaries are drawn by a four‑member Washington State Redistricting Commission every ten years. Two members are chosen by each legislative branch, with the majority leader and the minority leader from each selecting one member. The four members then pick a fifth, non‑voting chair. The commission ends its work after a redistricting plan is approved.
In 1981, Republicans tried to gerrymander Tom Foley’s fifth district by splitting Spokane, but Governor John Spellman vetoed it. After redrawing the map in 1982, a federal court struck it down for large population differences. In 1983, to avoid deadlock, the Legislature appointed a five‑member commission to draw new maps under a court deadline. That year voters approved a constitutional amendment to permanently establish a redistricting commission, and the first commission under those rules completed its work for the 1991 redistricting.
Washington is one of 22 states that do not leave redistricting entirely to the Legislature; a permanent state redistricting commission handles it.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:15 (CET).