Post date: Sep 30, 2025
Pasco, WA – The Port of Pasco has resolved a claim brought against it under Washington’s Voting Rights Act. Judge Bronson Brown approved a mutual settlement agreement with the claimants following a brief hearing in Franklin County Superior Court on Monday, September 29.
The agreement resolves a claim brought in March by local residents who alleged the Port of Pasco’s boundaries and at-large general elections violated the Washington Voting Rights Act.
Following six months of negotiations, the parties agreed to a binding settlement that resolved the matter with a compromise. The agreement confirms the legality of the Port’s existing commissioner district boundaries, which will continue to be used in future elections. Under the agreement, the Port of Pasco’s future commissioner elections will be held in even-numbered years, starting in 2026. Port commissioner elections will use a district-based election system for both primary and general elections, such that only voters from the commissioner district on the ballot will vote in those elections.
“This agreement not only confirms the legality of the Port’s existing commissioner district boundaries, it affirms the Port’s commitment to ensuring all voters have an equal voice in elections,” said Port Executive Director Adam Lincoln.
The court-approved agreement establishes the following Port of Pasco election schedule: District 3 commissioner position will appear on the general election ballot on November 3, 2026; District 1 commissioner position will be on the ballot in 2028; and District 2 on the ballot for the 2030 election cycle.
As part of the settlement, the Port of Pasco will cover a portion of the claimants’ attorney fees and costs, in the reduced amount of $50,000.
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