The U.S. Supreme Court's rejection Friday of redistricting maps drawn by a federal court in San Antonio had drawn mixed reaction from Denton County's political leaders.
County Republican Party chairwoman Dianne Edmondson is elated at the decision and lauded it as a victory against judicial activism and federal overreaching.
Denton County Democratic Party chairwoman Phyllis Wolper had hoped for the San Antonio maps so primary preparations could continue.
"We are excited and very pleased the Supreme Court recognized the extreme overreach of the San Antonio court and making changes, especially in Denton County, that made no sense at all," Edmondson said.
For example, Denton County received a new legislative district, and the court changed the district's number from 106 to 88, she said.
"I'm very hopeful the court will come up with a map similar to the legislative redrawn map that will help us proceed with the final filings and then the primary in April," she said.
Edmondson said the April primary is particularly important because it will affect the party's ability to hold its state convention in June.
For Republicans, holding an April primary is important because at that time, Texas could be one of the states that makes a difference in the party's nomination for president, she said.
"That would be a good thing for Texas to have a voice, because we have not for so many years," Edmondson said.
Edmondson said the state chairman told her that if the court finalizes the maps by Friday, counties may be able to hold primary elections April 3.
"If the primary could be moved to April 10, we'd still be in a good position in Texas," she said.
She noted that another complication is the federal requirement of a 45-day period between the time the ballots are printed and the time of the primary. This allows the ballots time to be mailed to voters.
"Until you have your districts set, people don't know what district they'd be filing in. We can't print voter cards [and] ballots until the lines are finalized," Edmondson said. "These judges are not elected and they don't understand the election process. Maybe they didn't think about all these complications because they have never gone through the process."
The legal fight centers on a requirement in the 1965 federal Voting Rights Act that certain states with a history of discrimination, including Texas, be granted "preclearance" before changes in voting practices can be enacted. The legal standard is whether the proposed changes have the purpose or effect of diminishing voting rights based on race or color.
The Justice Department contended Texas' legislative and congressional maps are retrogressive, meaning minority voters' ability to elect their candidates of choice is diminished.
"Because it is unclear whether the District Court for the Western District of Texas followed the appropriate standards in drawing interim maps for the 2012 Texas elections, the orders implementing those maps are vacated," the high court wrote in an unsigned 11-page ruling.
The justices sent the case back to the lower court.
Meanwhile, a trial is under way in Washington before another three-judge federal panel to determine whether the Legislature-drawn maps - proposed for use in this year's U.S. House and state legislative elections - passed muster under the federal Voting Rights Act.
The ruling comes just 11 days after the Supreme Court heard arguments over the Texas maps. That hearing had been set on just a few weeks' notice - an unusually compressed timetable that reflects the court's recognition that uncertainty over the maps is causing turmoil.
Wolper is cautiously assuming the April 3 date for the primary will not be possible.
"I'm truly disappointed we're not going to go forward with the maps as prepared by the courts in San Antonio and just get the primaries done," she said.
Wolper said the delays are getting costly.
"We had set up polling places for a March primary, we have now done it for an April primary and will probably have to continue," she said. "We're wondering at this point if the secretary of state will authorize an increase in budget because we have increased payroll needs to do this again. It's a huge operation to accomplish."
Wolper said it's in the best interest, no matter how people choose to vote, that primaries are held for the voters as well as the candidates to allow them the comfort of knowing where the boundaries are so they can run their campaigns.
If the maps do not come back in time, Edmondson said party officials would have to move to Plan B.
"It may have to delay us into a May primary, which is very difficult. State law sets out how your delegates are elected from a time-frame standpoint; it would make it impossible to meet that time frame," she said. "But we'll do what we have to to make that work, and what the law legally requires for our conventions."
The Dallas Morning News contributed to this report.
BJ LEWIS can be reached at 940-566-6875. His e-mail address is blewis@dentonrc.com.
