[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 17th district comprised 14 municipalities, with some overlap with the 2022 scheme: Acayucan, Cosamaloapan, Chacaltianguis, Isla, Ixmatlahuacan, Juan Rodríguez Clara, Otatitlán, Playa Vicente, José Azueta, Tlacojalpan, Tuxtilla, Tres Valles, Carlos A. Carrillo and Santiago Sochiapan.

[10][9] 1978–1996 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 newly created 17th district had its head town at Chicontepec in the state's northern Huasteca Baja region and it covered the municipalities of Benito Juárez, Chicontepec, Huayacocotla, Ilamatlán, Ixhuatlán de Madero, Texcatepec, Tlachichilco, Zacualpan and Zontecomatlán.