City Redistricting Plan Due by Oct. 3

The next big deadline is coming up in a federal voting rights case in Yakima.

City Manager Tony O'Rourke says the city is required to submit a voter redistricting plan to a judge by Oct. 3. The plan is now being reviewed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which sued the city over its voting system.

O'Rourke tells KIT News, “If we can come up with a joint plan with the ACLU, great. If not then two separate plans will be submitted to the judge and we’ll find out the outcome in October.”

The city manager says the city is confident about the plan submitted to the ACLU, but it is ultimately up to the judge. He says the city still reserves the right to appeal the case, but he says that is a long way off and might not be necessary.