A Texas appeals court denied an emergency request this week to blockGalveston County's new precinct boundariesbefore the November general election.
The new boundaries, which affect precincts for county commissioners, constables and justices of the peace, wereredrawn and approved June 29— in between the March primary election and the November general election.
A Galveston County constable and two county residents filed an emergency petition earlier this month asking the Texas Supreme Court to block the new precinct boundaries so they couldn’t be used in the November election. The plaintiffs argued the change wasn't fair to voters or potential candidates whose precincts changed mid-election year.
Related: Galveston County constable, residents urge Texas Supreme Court to block county's new precinct map
The Texas Supreme Court denied the petition last week and asked plaintiffs to file in a lower court first.
On Thursday, the Texas Fourteenth Court of Appeals declined an emergency petition asking the lower court to compel county officials to use the previous map.The court wrote the plaintiffs "have not met their burden of proof that no disputed facts exist and the duty they seek to compel is clear.” The court did not specifically rule on whether the map was legal or not.
Representatives for the plaintiffs and Galveston County did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Galveston County Judge Mark Henry previously toldHouston Public Mediathatthe new map was designed to improve judicial function for the justices of the peace, create opportunities for fiscal efficiencies within the county government and enhance the likelihood of Republican victories in the area.
The lower court's decision to decline the emergency petition came as Galveston County continued todefend itself against claimsthat a different precinct map county officials approved in 2021 weakened the voting power of Black and Hispanic voters.
For now, county officials can move forward with the redrawn 2026 precinct map for the upcoming general election in November.
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