The Texas Supreme Court on Friday prohibited Galveston County from using new voting boundaries for the November general election, ruling county leaders improperly redrew district lines after the primaries.
State law requires “the conduct of elections be uniform and consistent throughout this state,” the court said in an unsigned opinion that directed Galveston County to use the same precinct maps from the March primary election.
The court rejected Galveston County’s argument that the state law giving commissioners the power to redraw precinct lines “from time to time” means they can decide when to do so.
“The County has identified no historical precedent for a Texas county taking such action, and it has not identified any valid source of legal authority for its action,” the court said.
“Recognizing that commissioners courts may make such changes more often than every ten years to ‘meet the changing needs of the people’ does not broadly empower commissioners courts to take redistricting actions contrary to the ‘uniform and consistent’ statutory structure of elections,” the court said.
A Galveston County constable and two county residents filed an emergency petition asking the Supreme Court to block the new precinct boundaries, arguing the changes weren’t fair to voters or potential candidates whose precincts changed mid-election cycle.
The new boundaries — which affect precincts for county commissioners, constables and justices of the peace — were redrawn June 29 and approved that same day.
Galveston County Judge Mark Henry told the Houston Chronicle earlier this year that the mid-election cycle redistricting was done to align precincts for the “most efficient and beneficial setup,” helping keep the county Republican.
But the Texas Supreme Court said redrawing political boundaries during an ongoing election raises “serious constitutional concerns.”
“A primary election and the corresponding general election are one election for purposes of this principle, which we consider to be foundational to the electoral structure prescribed by our Election Code,” Friday’s ruling said.
Galveston County can use the newly drawn maps after the November election, the court said, but separate lawsuits are pending to prevent the new lines from being enforced.
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