Reply #12: Answers to some common questions about the Supreme Court’s ruling [View All]

[sonias]

Texas Redistricting blog 12/10/11
Answers to some common questions about the Supreme Court’s ruling

(snip)
What about the March primary?

The March 6 primary also remains in place for now, but adjustments are virtually certain- even if the Supreme Court rules quickly after the January 9 oral argument.

At this point, it’s very unlikely that the primaries for state house, senate, and congressional races could be kept on March 6 just because of the logistics involved.

The ballot order draw in each county is scheduled for December 20 and ballots will be printed shortly after that (the process takes about two weeks) so that military mail ballots can go out by early-January, as required under federal law.

The process of redrawing precinct boundaries (and the need to have those boundaries precleared) further complicates matters and makes it unlikely that the March date can maintained if state house, senate, and congressional races are added back into the mix.

In other words, it seems certain that either the entire primary or primary elections for state house, senate, and congressional districts will need to be moved.

The state has suggested having state house, senate, and congressional primaries on May 22, with the primary for all other races remaining on March 6. However, the Supreme Court has not addressed the issue yet or asked the San Antonio court to do so.

:kick: