SEATTLE, Wash.-The UCLA Voting Rights Project has served the Franklin County PUD with a written notice challenging the district’s current election policy.
According to the Voting Rights Project, the notice letter alleges that the PUD’s hybrid at-large electoral system, where the entire county votes in general elections for all three commissioner positions, violates the Washington Voting Rights Act.
“Latino participation in managing public resources and utilities is crucial,” said Sonni Waknin, program manager and counsel at the UCLA VRP. “We advocate for an election system that genuinely reflects the diverse voices within Franklin County.”
According to the Voting Rights Project, at-large voting disenfranchises Latino voters in Franklin County.
The letter demands that the PUD change from utilizing the at-large method of election and implement a district map that provides Latinos with an equal opportunity to elect candidates of choice, according to a Voting Rights Project press release.
The Franklin County PUD has 90 days to respond to the challenge to its voting system after the notice is filed.
