El Paso County adopts state-mandated congressional precinct maps; elections staff brace for heavy workload
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Summary
The commissioner's court approved new congressional precinct boundaries under Texas House Bill 4 (plan C2333), requiring election staff to reassign thousands of voters, create nine new precincts and perform hundreds of street edits. Elections Administrator Lisa Wise warned of 250–300 staff hours and tens of thousands in potential added costs.
El Paso County’s Commissioner’s Court voted Dec. 18 to adopt new congressional precinct boundaries required by state law under House Bill 4, plan C2333, a change Elections Administrator Lisa Wise said will require the county to create nine new precincts and reassign thousands of voters for the 2026 primary.
"HB 4 adopted the map known as plan C2333," Wise said, adding that the changes will increase the county’s precinct count from 227 to 236 and force 300–500 street edits to meet statutory requirements. "Our staff has worked every day since Dec. 4 and will continue to work every day over the breaks…to move all of the voters into their new correct precincts and have the machines and ballots tested and ready for the Jan. 17 ballot mail-out deadline for military and overseas voters."
Why it matters: The changes are a state-directed redraw of U.S. congressional lines that, under Texas election code, require local adoption and operational work by the county elections office. Wise told the court the effort entails substantial staff time — she estimated 250–300 hours of work — and the county may face $30,000–$50,000 in additional costs for overtime, mailings and related expenses.
What the county will do: Wise outlined a compressed timeline: the precinct boundaries are published as required by law, voter registration certificates will be mailed between Jan. 9 and Jan. 12, and the county will delay certain mailings that normally go out in December until January to accommodate the reprecincting. She said the elections office is coordinating with purchasing and staff to manage the logistical and printing costs.
Reaction and context: Commissioners questioned the resource impact and flagged the change as an unfunded state mandate. One commissioner noted jagged, irregular lines in northern precincts and referenced the prior federal panel’s ruling that had blocked the map; Wise described the U.S. Supreme Court’s temporary pause as allowing the county to proceed under plan C2333 for the upcoming primary.
The vote: Commissioner Stout made the motion to approve the maps and Commissioner Coronado seconded it; the motion carried.
What’s next: Elections staff will continue bulk data work and testing through January. Wise said the office will publish legally required notices in the El Paso Inc. newspaper and finalize ballots and precinct assignments in time for primary-related mailings.