Primary elections could be delayed to April

The 2022 primary elections in Texas could be pushed back to April or May under a bill moving through the state Legislature.

Because of delays in U.S. Census Bureau data needed to redraw the state’s congressional and legislative districts, the Texas Senate passed a bill Thursday that could push the state’s primary to April 5, or if delays persist, to May 24.

State Sen. Joan Huffman, a Houston Republican, said at this point Texas might not have the needed census data until deep into the summer. If they get the maps drawn up and passed into law fast enough, the March 1 primary would go on as planned. But if the maps aren’t put into law until after Nov. 22, the primary would shift to April 5.

If the maps are not done until after Jan. 3, the primary would shift to May 24.

The Texas Legislature was scheduled to redraw all of the state’s congressional and legislative districts during their regular session this spring. But delays in census data have made it certain the Legislature would at least need a special session to redraw the maps.

Texas currently has 36 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and could be getting three more because of the state’s population growth over the past 10 years. States are required to redraw lines every decade to ensure equal populations in each district.

The U.S. Census Bureau announced in February that it would deliver redistricting data to all states by Sept. 30. Officials pointed to COVID-19- related delays as a key reason for the disruption.

Texas has been here before. In 2012, a legal battle around redistricting forced Texas to move its March primary to late May. It was that primary in which Ted Cruz, who had never held elected office, finished in the top two in the primary for the U.S. Senate and won the seat in a runoff.

Neither of the two U.S. senators from Texas are up for re-election in 2022, but most of the statewide elected officeholders, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, both Republicans, are up.

Huffman said she’s trying to put the Legislature in the best position possible in light of the census data delays.

“The bill will serve as a signal that the Legislature fully intends to complete the redistricting task once the census data is received,” she said.

The bill passed the Senate on Thursday and now heads to the Texas House for consideration. If members agree to the bill, it would go to Abbott for approval.