Neighborhoods like Yesler Terrace could see changes as Seattle reshapes City Council districts

…Yesler Terrace is a relatively small part of Seattle’s political puzzle. But redistricting will involve changes in many areas and could alter the power balance at City Hall, with neighborhoods such as Georgetown and Madison Park up for grabs and with elections looming in 2023.

Voters approved the district system with a city charter amendment in 2013. The current map was drawn for the charter amendment campaign by a retired University of Washington geography professor using 2010 census data. The city’s population has grown unevenly since then, with some neighborhoods adding residents faster than others. Redistricting will ensure each council district contains about 105,000 people, per 2020 census data.

The new map will be drawn, as prescribed in the city charter, by a five-member redistricting commission that then-Mayor Jenny Durkan and the City Council appointed last year.

The work won’t wrap up until November, but the commission has already released four draft maps that demonstrate just how much Seattle’s political landscape could change…The draft maps are conversation starters, rather than serious proposals, cautioned Elsa Batres-Boni, an adviser from the Department of Neighborhoods. But advocates like Petty at the Urban League (a nonprofit that supports and advocates for Black people and other people of color) are digging in. The Urban League is part of a coalition called Redistricting Justice for Seattle, an affiliate of Redistricting Justice for Washington, which advocates for city, legislative and congressional districts that account for people of color and tribal members.

Andrew Hong, the coalition’s coordinator, is keeping an eye on the Chinatown International District and Beacon Hill, he said, arguing both neighborhoods should probably remain in District 2, where many Asian American voters live.…

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