GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas — A Galveston County constable and two residents have asked the Texas Supreme Court to block newly approved precinct boundaries for the November election, arguing that officials unlawfully changed the districts between the primary and general elections.
Precinct 3 Constable Derreck Rose and county residents filed an emergency petition Aug. 4 challenging the map approved by county commissioners June 29. The boundaries affect commissioner, constable and justice of the peace precincts.
The plaintiffs argue that changing the boundaries after the March primary denies voters equal protection because some voters will cast ballots under different precinct maps in the same election cycle.
Rose said the changes affect him as both a voter and elected official because his commissioner, constable and justice of the peace precincts all changed.
According to the petition, two commissioner precincts and three justice of the peace precincts appearing on the November ballot have different boundaries from those used in the March primary.
The plaintiffs also argue that the new map could prevent candidates who would qualify under the new boundaries from running because the lines changed after the primary.
Sarah Chen, an attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project, called the mid-election-year redistricting unprecedented.
“It creates so much confusion and chaos,” Chen said, adding that residents have questioned how the changes could occur.
The plaintiffs asked the state’s highest court to intervene before the Nov. 3 general election, warning that the changes could undermine the primary election process and delay some voters’ ability to elect representatives in their new precincts.
Galveston County officials and attorneys representing the county did not respond to requests for comment on the emergency petition.
County Judge Mark Henry previously defended the new map, saying it would improve the efficiency of justice of the peace operations, create fiscal efficiencies and produce stronger partisan outcomes.
“It has always been my belief that overlapping constable, Justices of the Peace, and commissioner precincts would be the most efficient and beneficial setup,” Henry said in June.
The dispute comes as Galveston County continues to face a separate federal voting rights lawsuit over a 2021 precinct map that plaintiffs say weakened the voting power of Black and Hispanic residents.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown recently allowed that case to continue despite the county’s argument that the approval of the new map made the lawsuit moot.
Chen, who represents plaintiffs in that case, said she hopes the Texas Supreme Court will block the 2026 boundaries before the November election.