[1][a] 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.

The 8th district comprised 22 municipalities in broadly the same region of the state: Acatlán, Actopan, Alto Lucero de Gutierrez Barrios, Apazapan, Chiconquiaco, Emiliano Zapata, Jalcomulco, Juchique de Ferrer, La Antigua, Landero y Coss, Miahuatlán, Naolinco, Puente Nacional, Tenampa, Tepetlán, Tlacotepec de Mejía, Tlaltetela, Tonayán, Totutla, Úrsulo Galván, Xalapa (partial, split with the 10th district) and Yecuatla.

[10][9] 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.

[11] The 8th district had its head town at Huatusco and it covered the municipalities of Camarón de Tejeda, Alpatláhuac, Axocuapan, Ayahualulco, Calcahualco, Carrillo Puerto, Comapan, Cosautlán, Coscomatepec, Cotaxtla, Chocamán, Huatusco, Ixhuacán, Ixhuatlán, Paso del Macho, Sochiapa, Soledad de Doblado, Tenampa, Teocelo, Tepatlaxco, Tlacotepec, Tomatlán, Totutla and Zentla.