| 1 | 1 | | 81R6175 JRH-D |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | By: Brown of Kaufman H.B. No. 1145 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | relating to the appointment of election judges. |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Sections 32.002(a), (b), and (c), Election Code, |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | are amended to read as follows: |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | (a) The commissioners court at its August [July] term shall |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | appoint the election judges for each regular county election |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | precinct. |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | (b) Judges appointed under Subsection (a) serve for a term |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | of one year beginning on September 1 [August 1] following the |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | appointment, except that the commissioners court by order recorded |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | in its minutes may provide for a term of two years. |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | (c) The presiding judge and alternate presiding judge must |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | be affiliated or aligned with different political parties, subject |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | to this subsection. Before August [July] of each year, the county |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | chair of a political party whose candidate for governor received |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | the highest or second highest number of votes in the county in the |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | most recent gubernatorial general election shall submit in writing |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | to the commissioners court a list of names of persons in order of |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | preference for each precinct who are eligible for appointment as an |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | election judge. The county chair may supplement the list of names |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | of persons until the 20th day before a general election or the 15th |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | day before a special election in case an appointed election judge |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | becomes unable to serve. The commissioners court shall appoint the |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | first person meeting the applicable eligibility requirements from |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | the list submitted in compliance with this subsection by the party |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | with the highest number of votes in the precinct as the presiding |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | judge and the first person meeting the applicable eligibility |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | requirements from the list submitted in compliance with this |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | subsection by the party with the second highest number of votes in |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | the precinct as the alternate presiding judge. The commissioners |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | court may reject the list if the persons whose names are submitted |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | on the list are determined not to meet the applicable eligibility |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | requirements. |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | SECTION 2. The term of an election judge serving on the |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | effective date of this Act expires: |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | (1) September 1, 2010, if the judge's term would expire |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | August 1, 2010, under Section 32.002(b), Election Code, as that |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | section existed before amendment by this Act; or |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | (2) September 1, 2011, if the judge's term would expire |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | August 1, 2011, under Section 32.002(b), Election Code, as that |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | section existed before amendment by this Act. |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect January 1, 2010. |
|---|