Electoral districts in Texas come in layers. The state uses single-member districts at every level of government, meaning each district elects one representative, and those districts stack on top of each other so that any given address sits inside a congressional district, a state Senate district, a state House district, a State Board of Education district, a county commissioner precinct, a justice of the peace precinct, and usually one or more special purpose districts as well.
Congressional Districts
Texas has 38 congressional districts, each sending one member to the U.S. House of Representatives. The state picked up two seats after the 2020 Census, reflecting rapid population growth over the prior decade.1Texas Redistricting. Apportionment and Ideal Population Each district is drawn to hold roughly the same number of people so every Texan’s vote carries approximately equal weight.
The map in use for the 2026 congressional elections is PlanC2333, enacted by the 89th Legislature in 2025. A federal district court in El Paso enjoined that map in November 2025, finding it violated the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, but the U.S. Supreme Court stayed the injunction in December 2025. The appeal is still pending.2Texas Redistricting. Redistricting Requirements3Supreme Court of the United States. Abbott v. League of United Latin American Citizens – Order
State Legislative Districts
The Texas Legislature has two chambers, each with its own districts. The Texas Senate has 31 single-member districts, with senators serving four-year terms. The Texas House of Representatives has 150 single-member districts, with representatives serving two-year terms. Neither chamber has term limits.4Legislative Directory. About the Texas Legislature
The size difference matters when you’re trying to get something done. A single Senate district covers roughly 811,000 people, while a House district covers about 194,000. Your state senator represents a much larger and more diverse area than your state representative, so a local issue often finds a faster hearing with the House member.
State Board of Education Districts
Texas is divided into 15 State Board of Education districts, each electing one member to a four-year term. The board sets curriculum standards, approves textbooks, and manages the Permanent School Fund. SBOE boundaries don’t line up with legislative or congressional districts, so your SBOE representative is almost certainly a different person from your state senator or House member. This is the layer most Texans forget they vote on.
County and Local Districts
Every Texas county is divided into exactly four commissioner precincts. Each elects one county commissioner to a four-year term, and those four commissioners sit alongside the county judge as the Commissioners Court, which is the county’s governing body. The Commissioners Court controls the county budget, sets the county tax rate, and oversees road maintenance and other services.5Justia Law. Texas Constitution Art 5 – Sec 18 The same constitutional provision requires counties to establish justice of the peace precincts, each with an elected JP who handles small claims, minor criminal matters, and other local judicial work.
Cities pick their own structure. Some use single-member council districts, so you vote only for the candidate in your geographic area. Others use at-large elections where every voter picks from the same citywide slate. School boards generally elect trustees from geographic zones within the district.
Special Purpose Districts
Texas has thousands of special purpose districts that operate independently from cities and counties. These include municipal utility districts (MUDs), water districts, hospital districts, and community college districts. Each one exists to deliver a specific service that general-purpose governments either can’t or don’t provide in that area.
These districts have their own elected boards and can levy property taxes or charge fees within their boundaries. If you live in a newer subdivision outside city limits, a MUD likely handles your water, sewer, and drainage and adds a separate line to your property tax bill. Rates vary widely, and homeowners sometimes don’t realize they’re in one until the bill arrives.
How The Lines Get Drawn
The Texas Constitution requires the Legislature to redraw state Senate and House boundaries during the first regular session after each U.S. Census. If the Legislature fails to act, a five-member Legislative Redistricting Board takes over. That board is the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House, the Attorney General, the Comptroller of Public Accounts, and the Commissioner of the General Land Office.6Justia Law. Texas Constitution Art 3 – Sec 28
Congressional districts follow a different path. The Legislature draws them through ordinary legislation, which means the governor can veto the maps. After the 2020 Census, the Legislature passed new congressional, Senate, and House plans in October 2021, and the governor signed all three with an effective date of January 18, 2022. Candidates first ran under those maps in 2022, and officials took office in January 2023.7Texas Secretary of State. Impact of Redistricting on Certain Election Deadlines and Procedures
The overriding legal principle is equal population. Districts at the same level of government must contain roughly the same number of people. Courts enforce this “one person, one vote” standard strictly for congressional districts and somewhat more flexibly for state legislative seats, where small population deviations are tolerated if they serve legitimate policy goals like keeping counties whole.
Federal Limits On The Maps
Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act prohibits any voting practice, including district maps, that results in denial of the right to vote based on race or color. A violation is established when, based on the totality of circumstances, the political process is not equally open to participation by members of a protected class.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 52 USC 10301 – Denial or Abridgement of Right to Vote on Account of Race or Color
This protection has driven litigation at every level of Texas districting. The 2025 case over PlanC2333 is the current example at the congressional level, where the district court found the Legislature had drawn boundaries along racial lines. At-large election systems used by some Texas cities and school boards have also faced Section 2 challenges, with courts in several cases ordering a switch to single-member districts so minority voters could elect candidates of their choice.