KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — With less than a week until the filing deadline for the March 2022 Primary election, Kaufman County has still not made newly adopted voting precinct maps available to the public, a violation of law according to local election officials.
KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — With less than a week until the filing deadline for the March 2022 Primary election, Kaufman County has still not made newly adopted voting precinct maps available to the public, a violation of law according to local election officials.
Texas election law requires that voting maps be redrawn every ten years after the completion of the census.
Kaufman County commissioner's approved the newly redrawn maps for the county during its November 9 meeting, and subsequently should have been uploaded for public view.
Due to the unexplained delay, the county is in jeopardy of legal action according to election officials because of a stringent Texas Election Code.
“Not having our maps uploaded prevents citizens from being informed and able to file to run for an election since they don’t know where their boundaries are," said Kaufman County Republican Party Chair Coby Pritchett in a release.
"This delay needs to be remedied as soon as possible.” Pritchett said.
According to an Texas Secretary of State official on Monday, Kaufman county is only a handful of counties that have yet to upload their voting maps. The majority of others are still in disputes over voting precincts and lines, however, there are no known disputes in Kaufman county according to party officials.
Pritchett says any legal action by possible candidates or voters would be a costly and unnecessary burden on taxpayers.
Kaufman County Judge Hal Richards has not responded to multiple requests as to when the maps might be available for the public according to party officials.
“Our County Judge needs to ensure this process is completed quickly so that we can ensure a free and fair election cycle," Pritchett said.
The filing deadline for the March 2022 primary is Monday, December 13 at 5 p.m.