‘Recipe for chaos’: WA’s Aug. 4 primary could be delayed as federal judge reconsiders redrawn legislative maps
May 14, 2026, 8:14 AM
The Washington State Capitol in Olympia. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
A federal judge is weighing whether to throw out Washington’s redrawn legislative district maps, a move that could delay the Aug. 4 primary election and throw 67 candidates into limbo just weeks before the election cycle ramps up.
The legal fight centers on U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik’s 2024 decision to redraw 13 legislative districts to strengthen the political voice of Latino voters in the Yakima Valley, the Washington State Standard reported Thursday. That redraw shifted more than 300,000 people across eastern and western Washington, and it didn’t just affect the Yakima Valley. Districts in King, Pierce, Thurston, and Clark counties were reconfigured, too.
Now, challengers want the maps tossed, arguing they no longer survive constitutional scrutiny after the U.S. Supreme Court’s April 29 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais. That 6-3 decision significantly curtailed the use of race in redrawing legislative boundaries, and it’s already sending shockwaves through election systems across the country.
Supreme Court redistricting ruling triggers chaos in southern states
Washington isn’t the only state staring down election chaos. Since the Callais ruling two weeks ago, multiple southern states have rushed to redraw their maps mid-cycle.
Louisiana delayed its May 16 congressional primary so lawmakers could draw new districts. Tennessee became the first state to pass a new redistricting map, splitting majority-Black Memphis into three predominantly white Republican districts. Alabama’s governor called a special session, and the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the prior court-ordered maps there. Florida’s governor convened a special session and signed revised maps into law. South Carolina and Georgia are both moving to redistrict as well, with Georgia’s governor calling lawmakers back on June 17.
The pattern is the same everywhere: Maps drawn under the Voting Rights Act are being challenged, primaries are being delayed, and voters don’t know which district they’re in. Now that fight has arrived in Washington.
How the Yakima Valley redistricting rippled into western WA
The original lawsuit was filed by Latino voters who argued the 15th Legislative District boundaries, drawn by Washington’s bipartisan redistricting commission in 2021, diluted their voting power in violation of the federal Voting Rights Act.
Lasnik agreed, ruling in August 2023 that the district’s configuration impaired the ability of Latino voters to participate equally in elections. In early 2024, he approved a new map covering communities from East Yakima to Pasco, including Wapato, Toppenish, Granger, and Sunnyside.
But redrawing one district in the Yakima Valley created a domino effect. Boundaries shifted across 13 districts and 12 counties, displacing five eastern Washington lawmakers and reaching deep into Puget Sound communities. The 12th District, once a conservative stronghold covering Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan counties, extended into parts of King and Snohomish counties. Districts in the 7th, 8th, 9th, 17th, and 31st also saw boundary changes. Orting, in Pierce County, was among the communities that moved between districts.
King County, Pierce County, and Thurston County voters may be affected
If the maps are reversed, the impact won’t be limited to the Yakima Valley. Communities in King, Pierce, Thurston, and Clark counties with districts that were reconfigured in the 2024 redraw could see their boundaries shift again. Cities like Auburn, Federal Way, Olympia, and Vancouver all have legislative districts that may be in the affected zone.
Voters in those areas could find themselves in a different district than the one they voted in during 2024, and candidates who filed to run last week may discover they’re in the wrong district entirely.
WA Secretary of State warns of election chaos
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs called the request to restore the old maps “a recipe for chaos” in a legal filing this week, the Washington State Standard reported. State officials warned that reversing the maps now would take “a wrecking ball” to the upcoming primary.
“It is simply too late to alter legislative districts for the 2026 elections,” Hobbs told the court. He warned that ordering changes now “will create significant voter confusion and result in significant expenses for Washington and counties in Washington.”
Hobbs also said it would “create a significant possibility” of the Aug. 4 primary getting delayed, the Washington State Standard reported.
Stuart Holmes, Washington’s election director, said in a court declaration that of the 294 people who filed last week to run for a legislative office, 67 are seeking seats in one of the affected districts.
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Legal arguments over WA’s legislative district maps
The challengers, Jose Trevino and state Rep. Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, filed a motion last week asking Lasnik to undo his maps and restore the lines drawn by Washington’s redistricting commission. House Minority Leader Drew Stokesbary, R-Auburn, is part of the legal team representing them.
They argued the maps “can no longer withstand constitutional scrutiny” after Callais. If Lasnik won’t act, they want him to tell the U.S. Supreme Court he’s prepared to reverse the maps if a separate pending appeal is sent back to him.
The original plaintiffs, the Latino voters whose lawsuit led to the redraw, pushed back hard. They called the request “unjustified and prejudicial” and said compressing a decision of this magnitude into the middle of an election cycle would be reckless.
“Nothing warrants such an imprudent compression of time on a motion of such consequence,” they wrote, according to the Washington State Standard.
Attorneys for the state and for the original plaintiffs both pointed out that the challengers have already asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case directly. Trevino and Ybarra petitioned the high court to review the constitutionality of Lasnik’s maps, and responses to that petition are due by June 2.
If the Supreme Court agrees to hear the case, it could send the matter back to Lasnik with instructions shaped by the Callais ruling. If it declines, the maps stand. Either way, the state argued, having Lasnik act now while the Supreme Court is weeks away from potentially weighing in would create exactly the kind of disruption the secretary of state is warning about, with no guarantee the result would survive appeal.
Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here.
