[1] It elects one deputy to the lower house of Congress for each three-year legislative session by means of the first-past-the-post system.

Votes cast in the district also count towards the calculation of proportional representation ("plurinominal") deputies elected from the third region.

[1] Between 2017 and 2022, the 8th district comprised a slightly different group of eight municipalities near the Guatemalan border: Comitán de Domínguez, Frontera Comalapa, Nicolas Ruiz, Las Rosas, Socoltenango, La Trinitaria, Tzimol and Venustiano Carranza.

[8] In 2005–2017 the district covered another group of eight municipalities near the international border: Bella Vista, Chicomuselo, Comitán de Domínguez, Frontera Comalapa, La Independencia, La Trinitaria, Socoltenango and Tzimol.

Still in the same broad region and centred on Comitán, it covered the following municipalities: The districting scheme in force from 1978 to 1996 was the result of the 1977 electoral reforms, which increased the number of single-member seats in the Chamber of Deputies from 196 to 300.