Dear Texas Republican,

In just the past few minutes, we obtained a signed court order from the three-judge federal panel in San Antonio. Here are the latest updates:

As we reported last night, the new filing period for all candidates from precinct chair to U.S. President has been extended to 6:00 pm on Monday, December 19th.

First, the Republican Party of Texas and Republican County Chairmen are now accepting ballot applications for all primary races, including those affected by Friday's Supreme Court Ruling (Texas House, Texas Senate and U.S. Congress.)

Candidates for the 2012 Primary Election who are seeking to run in one of these affected districts whose lines have not been finalized, can submit their application and designate a district number from either the map passed by the Texas Legislature or the map imposed by the three-judge federal panel. Candidates at the county level who are seeking an office with a precinct designation (i.e., County Commissioner, Justice of the Peace, Precinct Chair, etc.) should also file with their intended district number. In all instances, if that district number or map is later changed, you will have the opportunity to amend or withdraw your application.

This workaround has been made possible by further direction from today's ruling. The ruling has stated that once maps are finalized following the Supreme Court hearing in mid-January, there will be a new filing period for all primary ballot races.

During this new filing period:

  • Candidates who have already filed may amend their district designation to match the appropriate district designation for their residence.
      
  • Candidates who wish to withdraw their filing, will be entitled to do so. Withdrawn filings will be entitled to a refund of the filing fee.
      
  • New candidate filings will be accepted for all races.

Candidates filing by petition should be cautioned that only the signatures from voters who reside in the districted presented in the FINALIZED map can be applied to their required totals. If you choose this method, you should be prepared to either collect additional signatures or to pay the filing fee should your district change.

On Thursday, representatives from the Texas Democratic Party and the Republican Party of Texas will enter a mediation session to discuss the date for the 2012 Primary Election. This issue was not addressed in today's court order, but we hope to have an update for you soon following that meeting.

Thank you for your interest in this process, and for your continued patience. These are certainly the most interesting and complex election administration decisions that any of your Republican Party of Texas staff can ever recall. We will continue to keep you updated as we receive more specific direction.