Primary Department: County Administration
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Jesse Dickerman, Interim County Administrator
Secondary Department: Tax Assessor-Collector
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: Annette Ramirez, Tax Assessor-Collector
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Public Hearing
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request by the Office of County Administration for a public hearing for approval to consider and adopt an Order to provide required notices and establish new boundaries for Harris County Election Precinct Nos: 0026, 0032, 0033, 0038, 0044, 0046, 0070, 0083, 0095, 0113, 0156, 0177, 0206, 0217, 0249, 0250, 0254, 0260, 0290, 0299, 0323, 0331, 0338, 0339, 0343, 0352, 0359, 0383, 0386, 0410, 0414, 0421, 0428, 0437, 0483, 0487, 0493, 0497, 0503, 0513, 0514, 0516, 0533, 0561, 0569, 0572, 0577, 0586, 0607, 0610, 0621, 0623, 0624, 0628, 0632, 0637, 0646, 0651, 0653, 0661, 0667, 0671, 0675, 0700, 0701, 0747, 0755, 0773, 0781, 0788, 0799, 0803, 0831, 0840, 0846, 0847, 0872, 0879, 0890, 0928, 0940, 0942, 0944, 0945, 0960, 0970, 0977, 0989, 1009, 1011, 1025, 1050, 1057, 1068, 1071, 1080, 1089, 1096, 1108, 1119, 1146, 1147, 1168, 1179, and 1183.
end
Background and Discussion:
Timeline
Texas Election Code Chapter 42 requires that, “during March or April of each odd-numbered year, each Commissioners Court shall determine whether the county election precincts comply with Sections 42.005, 42.006, and 42.007”, which describe the jurisdictional and population requirements for county election precincts. Harris County bi-annually completes this process of “re-precincting” with the last review and compliance changes being approved by Commissioners Court on May 8, 2025.
While re-precincting would not typically be required again until Spring 2027, the State of Texas 89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session has enacted H.B. 4 (PlanC2333), a congressional redistricting plan for primary and general elections beginning in 2026. Texas Election Code Section 42.032 requires that "if changes in county election precinct boundaries are necessary to give effect to a redistricting plan under Article III, Section 28, of the Texas Constitution, each commissioners court shall order the changes before October 1 of the year in which the redistricting is done."
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, El Paso Division, has scheduled a preliminary injunction hearing on the enacted congressional districts, which began in October 2025. Therefore, upon approval of the proposed boundary changes by Commissioners Court on November 20, 2025, implementation of this re-precincting project will proceed; however, the outcome of the litigation may require additional future changes.
The Office of County Administration (OCA), Universal Services (US), the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office (HCTO), the County Clerk’s Office (CCO), and the County Attorney’s Office (CAO) have collaborated on a project to provide proposals for re-precincting Harris County’s election precincts based on redistricting PlanC2333 to ensure compliance with the Texas Election Code and that, should that plan move forward through its pending litigation with no changes, election precinct boundaries will be confirmed prior to the filing deadline for party Precinct Chairs, which takes place on December 8, 2025.
Fall 2025 Re-Precincting Project Overview
Re-precincting is distinct from redistricting in that the boundaries for elected officials (and thus their constituencies) remain the same. Only election precinct boundaries are adjusted, so there are no changes for any voters’ ballots in terms of the contests in which they vote as a result of this specific item. Due to Harris County’s countywide voting, there is also no change to where any voter might choose to vote.
Per the Texas Election Code, election precincts are required to be contiguous, and (in descending priority):
• they must be contained entirely within one each of a County Commissioner precinct, a Justice precinct, a Congressional district, a State Representative district, a State Senatorial district, and a State Board of Education district (Texas Election Code §42.005); and
• they must have a population between 100 - 5,000 registered voters (Texas Election Code §42.006); and
• they must be entirely contained within either incorporated or unincorporated territory, but not both, (Texas Election Code §42.007), among other requirements.
As of September 2025, Harris County has 1,122 election precincts that include registered voters (with 1,186 in total). Of these, since May 2025, due to the Congressional redistricting plan enacted by the Texas Legislature, 66 election precincts are no longer in compliance with Texas Election Code §42.005, and 32 have a registered voter population between 1-100. However, amongst the 32 election precincts with registered voter populations of less than 100, only 14 had boundaries that could be combined with adjacent election precincts and still remain in compliance with Texas Election Code §42.005. Currently, there are a total of 80 election precincts that are out of compliance and can be adjusted.
The Office of County Administration has therefore created proposals for boundary adjustments to 105 election precincts in total: 80 that are currently out of compliance and can be adjusted, and 25 adjacent precincts whose inclusion would be required to bring the 80 precincts into compliance. Approximately 9.4% of all election precincts with registered voters are impacted.
Per the Texas Election Code’s requirements, notices of the adopted changes will be distributed to the Precinct Chair and Presiding Judge for each affected election precinct, and to the countywide Party Chairs. In addition, an informational website describing the re-precincting project, requirements, and boundary adjustment proposals was created through a collaboration of the Office of County Administration and Universal Services and is visible to the public at: <https://oca.harriscountytx.gov/2025-Re-Precincting>. A public notice will be posted in a local newspaper, with both website and newspaper notices remaining in place for no less than three weeks following the adoption of the proposed changes.
Expected Impact:
Re-precincting takes place through two Commissioners Court items: a Public Notice of Proposed Changes and setting a date for a public hearing (which appeared on the November 13, 2025 Agenda), and a Public Hearing and request for the Adoption of Proposed Changes (this item). Adopting the proposed revisions to the 105 election precincts will ensure compliance with state statute.
The cost associated with re-precincting includes: the fees to publish public notices in a newspaper (an estimate is noted in the Fiscal and Personnel Summary below) as well as County staff time and labor (not included in the estimate).
The Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office will incorporate the adopted changes in their voter registration systems and the County Clerk’s Office will adjust their elections operations in keeping with the adjusted boundaries of the election precincts, and will provide the updated map to the Texas Secretary of State.
While election precinct boundaries are adjusted, the boundaries of elected officials’ jurisdictions do not change as a result of this specific re-precincting item. Therefore, there is no change to any voter’s ballots in terms of which election contests they vote in.
Alternative Options:
If Commissioners Court chooses not to revise election precinct boundaries, 80 election precincts will remain out of compliance with state statute.
County Strategic Plan Goal: N/A
County Strategic Plan Objective: N/A
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): N/A
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): N/A
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): N/A
Health Initiative (Goal 4): N/A
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): N/A
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): N/A
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
While re-precincting is not contemplated within the County Strategic Plan’s Objectives and Goals, this item aligns with the County’s Guiding Principles of embracing change and serving people first, in that it seeks to adapt our election precincts to meet our changing population, and ensures that our constituents’ election precincts are in compliance with state law. Re-precincting is statutorily required by the Texas Election Code.
Prior Court Action (if any):
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
11/13/2025 |
3 |
Public notice for Fall 2025 Re-Precincting |
|
05/08/2025 |
379 |
Public Hearing and Adoption of proposed changes for Spring 2025 Re-Precincting |
|
04/10/2025 |
17 |
Public notice for Spring 2025 Re-Precincting |
Location:
Address (if applicable): N/A
Precinct(s): Countywide
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Service Name |
Administrative Services |
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Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
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Labor |
Non-Labor |
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Recurring Expenses |
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Funding Sources |
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Existing Budget |
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1000 - General Fund |
$ |
$16,000.00 |
$16,000.00 |
$ |
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$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Existing Budget |
$ |
$16,000.00 |
$16,000.00 |
$ |
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Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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$ |
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$ |
$ |
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$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Funding Sources |
$ |
$16,000.00 |
$16,000.00 |
$ |
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Grants - Proposed Budget (For Grants Items only) |
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Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
No. of Grant Years |
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Local Match Source - Existing Budget: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Local Match Source - Additional Budget Request: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Grant Funds Applied for/Awarded (Total) |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new Position Control Numbers (PCN)s) |
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Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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Additional Positions Request |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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Total Personnel |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
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CAO Reviewer Name and Title |
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CAO Review Completion Date |
Click or tap to enter a date. |
Anticipated Court Date: 11/20/2025
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department:
Jesse Dickerman, Interim County Administrator
Traci Buttram, Manager of Operations, Office of County Administration
Neal Sarkar, Special Assistant County Attorney, County Attorney’s Office
Attachments (if applicable):
N/A