| 1 | 1 | | By: Dunnam H.B. No. 4421 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to the form of, and information contained on, a voter |
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| 7 | 7 | | registration certificate. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Sections 15.001 and 15.002, Election Code, are |
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| 10 | 10 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 15.001. REQUIRED CONTENTS. (a) Each voter |
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| 12 | 12 | | registration certificate issued must be identical in form as a |
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| 13 | 13 | | driver's license, including identical materials, and contain: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) the voter's name in the form indicated by the |
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| 15 | 15 | | voter, subject to applicable requirements prescribed by Section |
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| 16 | 16 | | 13.002 and by rule of the secretary of state; |
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| 17 | 17 | | (2) the voter's residence address or, if the residence |
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| 18 | 18 | | has no address, the address at which the voter receives mail and a |
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| 19 | 19 | | concise description of the location of the voter's residence; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (3) the month, day, and year of the voter's birth; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (4) the number of the county election precinct in |
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| 22 | 22 | | which the voter resides; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (5) the voter's effective date of registration if an |
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| 24 | 24 | | initial certificate; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (6) the voter's registration number; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (7) an indication of the period for which the |
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| 27 | 27 | | certificate is issued; |
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| 28 | 28 | | (8) a statement explaining the circumstances under |
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| 29 | 29 | | which the voter will receive a new certificate; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (9) a space for stamping the voter's political party |
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| 31 | 31 | | affiliation; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (10) a statement that voting with the certificate by a |
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| 33 | 33 | | person other than the person in whose name the certificate is issued |
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| 34 | 34 | | is a felony; |
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| 35 | 35 | | (11) a space for the voter's signature; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (12) a statement that the voter must sign the |
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| 37 | 37 | | certificate personally, if able to sign, immediately on receipt; |
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| 38 | 38 | | (13) a space for the voter to correct the information |
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| 39 | 39 | | on the certificate followed by a signature line; |
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| 40 | 40 | | (14) the statement: "If any information on this |
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| 41 | 41 | | certificate changes or is incorrect, correct the information in the |
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| 42 | 42 | | space provided, sign below, and return this certificate to the |
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| 43 | 43 | | voter registrar."; |
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| 44 | 44 | | (15) the registrar's mailing address and telephone |
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| 45 | 45 | | number; [and] |
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| 46 | 46 | | (16) the jurisdictional or distinguishing number for |
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| 47 | 47 | | the following territorial units in which the voter resides, as |
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| 48 | 48 | | determined by the voter registrar: |
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| 49 | 49 | | (A) congressional district; |
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| 50 | 50 | | (B) state senatorial district; |
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| 51 | 51 | | (C) state representative district; |
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| 52 | 52 | | (D) commissioners precinct; |
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| 53 | 53 | | (E) justice precinct; |
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| 54 | 54 | | (F) city election precinct; and |
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| 55 | 55 | | (G) school district election precinct; |
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| 56 | 56 | | (17) the voter's sex; |
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| 57 | 57 | | (18) a representation of the Texas flag; and |
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| 58 | 58 | | (18) on the reverse, a strip for |
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| 59 | 59 | | electronically-readable information. |
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| 60 | 60 | | (b) A certificate may not contain: |
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| 61 | 61 | | (1) the voter's telephone number; |
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| 62 | 62 | | (2) the voter's social security number; or |
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| 63 | 63 | | (3) except as provided by Section 15.002, any other |
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| 64 | 64 | | information not specified by Subsection (a). |
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| 65 | 65 | | (c) The certificate issued under this section is the only |
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| 66 | 66 | | form of identification a voter must present to an election official |
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| 67 | 67 | | in order to exercise the person's fundamental right to vote. If the |
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| 68 | 68 | | provisions of another law conflict with the provisions of this |
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| 69 | 69 | | section, this section controls to the extent of the conflict. |
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| 70 | 70 | | Sec. 15.002. OPTIONAL CONTENTS. (a) A voter registration |
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| 71 | 71 | | certificate may be accompanied by a separate sheet contain an |
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| 72 | 72 | | explanation of the voter's rights or duties under this code, |
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| 73 | 73 | | including: |
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| 74 | 74 | | (1) the procedure by which the voter will receive a |
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| 75 | 75 | | renewal certificate; |
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| 76 | 76 | | (2) the necessity of notifying the registrar if the |
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| 77 | 77 | | voter changes residence; |
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| 78 | 78 | | (3) the necessity of applying for a new registration |
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| 79 | 79 | | if the voter changes residence to another county; |
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| 80 | 80 | | (4) the period during which the voter may vote a |
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| 81 | 81 | | limited ballot after changing residence to another county; |
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| 82 | 82 | | (5) the procedure for voting without a certificate; |
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| 83 | 83 | | and |
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| 84 | 84 | | (6) the procedure for obtaining a replacement for a |
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| 85 | 85 | | lost or destroyed certificate. |
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| 86 | 86 | | [(b) An explanation authorized by Subsection (a) may appear |
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| 87 | 87 | | on a separate sheet accompanying the certificate when it is |
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| 88 | 88 | | delivered.] |
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| 89 | 89 | | (c) In addition to the territorial units required to be |
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| 90 | 90 | | listed on a voter registration certificate under Section |
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| 91 | 91 | | 15.001(a)(16), a certificate may contain up to seven jurisdictional |
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| 92 | 92 | | or distinguishing numbers for any other territorial units in which |
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| 93 | 93 | | the voter resides. |
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| 94 | 94 | | [(d) A voter registration certificate may contain the |
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| 95 | 95 | | voter's sex.] |
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| 96 | 96 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 97 | 97 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 98 | 98 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 99 | 99 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 100 | 100 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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