(a) Within five days after the date of receiving a petition under this subchapter, the commissioners court shall have the county clerk of the county check the names on the petition against the voter registration lists of the county and certify to the commissioners court the number of qualified voters signing the petition as reflected by checking the county’s voter registration lists. If only a part of a county is included in the target area or operational area, the county clerk shall also certify that those signing the petition reside in an election precinct in the county totally or partially included in the target area or operational area.
(b) On certification by the county clerk, the petition must be filed with the official records of the county and be made available for public inspection.