Court order on Texas redistricting forces election officials, county parties to scramble

Texas officials preparing for elections under new congressional maps must quickly reverse course because of a federal court order blocking the use of the maps.

By Natalia Contreras for Votebeat and The Texas Tribune

For months, election officials across Texas have been hustling to redraw precinct boundary lines and secure polling locations and workers for the March primary election, all based on new congressional maps Republican state lawmakers drew in a rare mid-decade redistricting this summer.

County party chairs have accepted applications from candidates for precinct chair — the parties’ neighborhood-level representatives — and, beginning this month, from candidates seeking congressional seats based on the newly drawn districts.

Now, they’re scrambling to revert to the previous con