Hunt County Commissioners Court voted Aug. 12 to approve an order revising several county election precincts after the court’s staff reported that one precinct in the Caddo Mills area had grown to about 9,000 registered voters, exceeding the statutory maximum of 5,000.

Judge Stovall said the changes are required to comply with Chapter 42 of the Texas Election Code, which the court cited during its discussion. The court presented a series of new precinct maps and explained how the affected precincts will be split.

Key details

- Reason: Chapter 42, Texas Election Code requires each county election precinct to contain at least 100 but no more than 5,000 registered voters; one precinct in the Caddo Mills area had nearly 9,000 registered voters.
- What the court did: The court approved an order to redraw precinct boundaries and to split the overpopulated precinct (215) into multiple precinct voting units labeled 215A, 215C, 215D and 215E with described road and interstate boundaries, and to adjust neighboring precincts (including 214, 213, 111 and others) to balance voter counts.
- Support and counsel: The court identified attorney Eric McGee (Allison Bass McGee, Austin) as counsel who helped prepare the maps and the order.

Why this matters

Redrawing precinct boundaries changes where residents vote and can affect polling locations and poll-worker assignments. Court members noted practical challenges including finding public buildings to host voting locations in rural areas and recruiting poll workers. The court discussed vote-center options, which allow residents to vote at any designated site, but also noted state-level controversy and local logistical hurdles.

Court action

After a presentation of multiple maps that detailed north/south and interstate boundaries, Judge Stovall entertained a motion to approve the order; the court voted and the motion carried. The court did not identify individual roll-call votes in the record; minutes show the motion carried after an “all in favor” call.

Next steps and implementation

Court staff said they will publish the new precinct maps online and provide further public information. The court recognized the need to revisit precinct lines as population grows.