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Census
2000
Not so representative Despite advances, lawmakers trail state in gender, racial, age balance PATRICK CONDON, THE OLYMPIAN Originally published February 17, 2002
OLYMPIA -- The Washington state Legislature is a little whiter, a little older and a little more male than the people it represents.
The 147 members of the Legislature represent a state population that is 84.9 percent white, but 94.5 percent of state lawmakers are white. The state is 6.7 percent Asian and 4 percent black, according to the 2000 census, but the Legislature is just 2.7 percent Asian and 1.4 percent black.
And even though the state's Hispanic population had grown to 7.5 percent by 2000, only 2 percent of lawmakers are Hispanic.
"It is a concern," said Sen. Rosa Franklin, D-Tacoma, one of two black members in the Legislature. "I would like to see the Legislature be more reflective of the growing diversity in our state."
Some successes
In some ways, Washington has done well in reflecting its diversity through the people voters have elected to represent them. Gov. Gary Locke, who is Chinese-American, is one of only two nonwhite governors in the nation. With the election of U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell in 2000, Washington is one of only three states with two female U.S. senators.
Additionally, as has been the case for several years, the Washington Legislature has more female members than any other state legislature in the country.
That's not to say full gender equity has been achieved. In the overall state population, women have a slight 0.4 percent edge over men, while the Legislature is 61.2 percent male.
Among Senate Democrats, though, there are actually more women than men -- 17 to eight.
"Every once in a while, we'll make a plea for gender equity for the guys," joked Sen. Margarita Prentice, D-Seattle.
The high number of female Senate Democrats and the six female Republicans tip the Senate nearly to equity: 23 women to 26 men.
Women hold some of the highest ranking posts in both chambers, including House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, Sen. Lisa Brown and Rep. Helen Sommers, the two top budget writers in the Legislature; and Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen and Rep. Ruth Fisher, the chairwomen of the two transportation committees.
Legislators of color
In general, though, ethnic minorities have not fared as well as women in the Legislature. Since the 1990 Census, the state's minority population nearly doubled, increasing by 92 percent. During that same time the number of legislators of color has stayed about the same, according to Franklin, who's been in the Legislature since 1991.
"I would say it's a wash," Franklin said. "We have not really gained."
It is important for racial and ethnic minority groups to feel that state government represents them, say legislators who themselves belong to some of those groups.
"I would argue it is helpful to have the perspective of people of color, of religious minorities, immigrants, women," said Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, D-Seattle, who is Japanese-American. "There is a certain experiential knowledge, and I think there is an obligation to represent that experience."
When activists representing minority groups do approach the Legislature, they often find they must work harder to make their perspectives and issues understood, said Thelma Jackson, an educational consultant from Olympia who used to work with the African American Affairs Commission and other lobby groups.
"You have to start from ground zero a lot of the time," Jackson said. "You have to do a lot more legwork and homework that sometimes can distract from your ability to get right to your issue."
If more legislators came from minority groups, Jackson said, "that is someone who already has the consciousness, the awareness of what you're talking about."
Having relatively few people with those viewpoints in the Legislature can create a kind of vicious circle that discourages minorities' interest in the political system. When people of color do have firsthand experiences with the Legislature, they will see few officials from similar backgrounds, making them think such posts are unattainable for them.
Sen. Paull Shin, D-Mukilteo, had that reaction when former Gov. Booth Gardner first suggested to Shin that he run for the Legislature.
"I said, 'Me, governor?' " recalled Shin, who is Korean-American. "A guy like me, this color? Can I imagine me, a first-generation immigrant, serving in the Legislature? I couldn't see it."
Now, after nearly a decade of service, Shin said he'd like to dispel such notions in members of ethnic minority groups who might be eyeing service in the Legislature or any other kind of political or civic activism.
"Now I see, what was I so afraid of?" Shin said. "I'm accepted by my colleagues; I feel like I'm making an important contribution."
'Going to college'
The numbers are likely to rise as the descendants of immigrant families get more established in the state generation by generation, said Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney, whose parents came to Washington state in 1919 from Mexico.
"It's just like going to college," Kenney said. "Many people thought they couldn't do it, and they turned out to be the first people in their families to do so."
It's important to dispel such preconceived notions not just among the ethnic minority groups, said Prentice, who is Hispanic, but also among the white members of the Legislature with whom they'll be serving side by side.
"I've been told that before I came to the Legislature, there was a lot of anti-Hispanic rhetoric that stopped when I got here," Prentice said. "I can't prove it; I wasn't here. But I made many friends, and I know some of them were the same people who engaged in it before they knew me."
Recruiting minority candidates has become increasingly important for both political parties in recent years, as minority populations have grown across the country. The House Democratic Caucus has made it a stated goal, going so far as to designate the drive with the term "Unity Caucus."
It's a growing challenge for the Republican Party, according to state party Chairman Chris Vance, as party leaders have come to realize they can't continue to carve out electoral victories with the party's increasingly narrow base of white rural and suburban voters.
Attracting candidates and voters from ethnic minority groups "is the smart thing to do politically, and it's the right thing to do, too," Vance said.
Republican challenges
The ethnic background of Republican members of the Legislature points to that party's challenges. A single House Republican, Rep. Mary Skinner of Yakima, is Hispanic. In the Senate, one Republican member is one-half American Indian but doesn't want to be publicly identified as such, according to caucus spokesman Brian Zylstra.
"I've been to three Republican National Committee meetings as chairman, and one of the biggest focuses of all three has been to expand our base and reach out to Asians, blacks and Hispanics," Vance said. "Are we focused on this? You better believe it."
Raising those numbers will also mean lifting some of the traditional barriers to better representation of ethnic minority groups, said Tony Orange, executive director of the Olympia-based African American Affairs Commission.
"That means redistricting around communities of interest; that means more dedication to voter registration; that means energizing these communities in a way that has not been done before," Orange said. "A lot of people don't perceive the political process as something they can impact, or that impacts them."
Questions of age
Diversity doesn't just mean gender or ethnic background.
Washington's 147 legislators range in age from 27 to 80, with an average age of 54. That's well above the state's median age of 35.
The youngest legislator, Rep. Janea Holmquist, R-Ephrata, said she feels an added responsibility to represent the interests of young people, many of whom might feel disconnected from a political process dominated by people twice their age.
Holmquist says when she attends political functions, she is often the youngest person in the room.
"I remember a Grant County Republican dinner where there were just no young faces," Holmquist said. "That was worrisome. The leaders of tomorrow are my age, and we need to bring them up."
Even if ethnic minority groups, women and younger individuals do become better represented, though, legislators such as Prentice say it will be important to remember that every resident of a legislator's district is an equal priority, no matter what age, sex or ethnic background.
"Hispanic people aren't the majority in my district," Prentice said. "But my experience is my district's experience. My husband worked for Boeing for 43 years. I was a registered nurse at a local hospital for years. I was on the local school board. My kids went to the schools.
Indeed, lawmakers such as Shin and Rep. John Lovick of Mill Creek, who is black, represent suburban districts made up largely of white people.
"I will just say that the matter of race has never come up with my constituents," Prentice said. "My constituents see it as irrelevant in terms of my ability to function, as do I."
Patrick Condon covers state government for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-753-1688 or at condonpatrick@ hotmail.com.
County microcosms
King, Pierce and Yakima counties are three counties with higher-than-average populations of racial and ethnic minorities.
Here's how the legislative representation from those counties stacks up to that of Thurston and Mason counties:
THURSTON COUNTY
Population
White: 85.7 percent
Black: 1.2 percent
American Indian/Alaska Native: 1.5 percent
Asian: 4.4 percent
Hispanic: 4.5 percent
Representation
A total of nine state legislators have districts that include parts of Thurston County.
White: 100 percent
Gender: 66 percent male
MASON COUNTY
Population
White: 88.5 percent
Black: 1.2 percent
American Indian/Alaska Native: 3.7 percent
Asian: 1.1 percent
Hispanic: 4.8 percent
Representation
The three legislators from District 35 represent all of Mason County.
White: 100 percent
Gender: 66 percent male
KING COUNTY
Population
White: 75.7 percent
Black: 5.4 percent
American Indian/Alaska Native: .9 percent
Asian: 10.8 percent
Hispanic: 5.5 percent
Representation
A total of 51 state legislators represent districts that include parts of King County.
White: 90.1 percent
Black: 0
American Indian/Alaska Native: 0
Asian: 5.8 percent
Hispanic: 3.9 percent
Gender: 53 percent male
PIERCE COUNTY
Population
White: 78.4 percent
Black: 7 percent
American Indian/Alaskan Native: 1.4 percent
Asian: 5.1 percent
Hispanic: 5.5 percent
Representation
A total of 27 legislators represent districts that include parts of Pierce County.
White: 96.2 percent
Black: 3.7 percent
American Indian/Alaskan Native: 0
Asian: 0
Hispanic: 0
Gender: 56 percent male
YAKIMA COUNTY
Population
White: 65.6 percent
Black: 1 percent
American Indian/Alaskan Native: 4.5 percent
Asian: 1 percent
Hispanic: 35.9 percent
Representation
A total of 9 legislators represent districts that include parts of Yakima County.
White: 88.9 percent
Black: 0 percent
American Indian/Alaskan Native: 0 percent
Asian: 0 percent
Hispanic: 11.1 percent
Gender: 56 percent male
- County by county: Find out how Thurston and Mason counties
compare to some other Washington counties for gender and ethnic
balance between population and legislators.
- Statewide: See how Washington's 5.9 million residents
compare to the state's 147 legislators.
- Women in power: Find out how Washington became the state
with the highest percentage of female legislators.
The Olympian Copyright 2002 back to main Census 2000 index
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