COURTS LOOK FOR WAY TO GO FORWARD ON PRIMARIES WHILE RE-DISTRICTING SORTED OUT

The Supreme Court handed the re-districting argument back to Texas courts and here is what they are saying about the primaries while they continue to look for a way to work out the disputed re-districting maps:

1. They will issue an order suspending the deadlines of the December 16th order.
2. They advised the political parties that they can inform party officials and candidates that the February 1st filing deadline will be vacated and that the drawing for ballot positions next week should be postponed.
3. They indicated that if the parties could agree on maps and submit those maps by February 6th, that an April 3rd primary was still obtainable. However, the court and the attorneys have been very specific that any agreement is not a settlement.
4. That if there was no agreement and maps were not drawn by February 6th, that an April 3rd primary would not take place.
5. In the event there is no settlement agreement and maps are not completed by February 6th, the court makes no present indication of when the new primary would be rescheduled.
6. In the event the parties cannot agree on new maps, the court requires them to submit advisories to the court as to which districts are still in dispute and the issues related thereto.
7. The court will then schedule future hearings if necessary and issue new orders if necessary.

Advisory to all Republican county chairmen, precinct chairmen, and party activists - As it is still a possibility that we will have a single unified primary on April 3rd, you can still continue your plans for an April 3rd primary as best as you can until at least February 6th. By February 6th, we should know whether or not we will have an April 3rd primary. Even if maps are not submitted by February 6th, there is still a possibility that a single unified primary could be held in mid-April if the court can draw maps by mid-February. It is unclear what will happen in the event that maps are not drawn by mid-February. We will let you know as soon as we know. We do expect there to be a new schedule issued with new filing deadlines, etc., once it is clear when the primary will be finally scheduled. The final primary date will not be determined until maps are ready to be issued by the court. This is all we know at the present time. Please stay tuned for further updates from the State Party - we will issue them as soon as we have additional information.