| 1 | 1 | | 81R3513 JRJ-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Allen H.B. No. 475 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the hours during which the polls are open for early |
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| 8 | 8 | | voting by personal appearance. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 12.004(d), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 11 | 11 | | read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (d) The [If early voting by personal appearance is required |
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| 13 | 13 | | to be conducted for extended hours under Section 85.005(c) or for |
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| 14 | 14 | | weekend hours under Section 85.006(e), the] registrar's office |
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| 15 | 15 | | shall remain open for providing voter registration information |
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| 16 | 16 | | during the [extended hours or weekend] hours that the main early |
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| 17 | 17 | | voting polling place is open for voting, including the weekend |
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| 18 | 18 | | hours the main early voting polling place is required to be open |
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| 19 | 19 | | under Section 85.006(e). |
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| 20 | 20 | | SECTION 2. Section 85.005(a), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 21 | 21 | | read as follows: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (a) Early [Except as provided by Subsection (c), in an |
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| 23 | 23 | | election in which a county clerk or city secretary is the early |
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| 24 | 24 | | voting clerk under Section 83.002 or 83.005, early] voting by |
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| 25 | 25 | | personal appearance at the main early voting polling place shall |
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| 26 | 26 | | begin at 7 a.m. and end at 7 p.m. [be conducted] on the weekdays of |
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| 27 | 27 | | the early voting period [and during the hours that the county |
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| 28 | 28 | | clerk's or city secretary's main business office is regularly open |
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| 29 | 29 | | for business]. |
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| 30 | 30 | | SECTION 3. Section 85.007(a), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 31 | 31 | | read as follows: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (a) The election order and the election notice must state: |
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| 33 | 33 | | (1) the date that early voting will begin if under |
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| 34 | 34 | | Section 85.001(d) the early voting period is to begin later than the |
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| 35 | 35 | | prescribed date; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (2) the regular dates and hours that voting will be |
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| 37 | 37 | | conducted under Section 85.005 [85.005(b)]; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | (3) the dates and hours that voting on Saturday or |
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| 39 | 39 | | Sunday is ordered to be conducted under Section 85.006(a). |
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| 40 | 40 | | SECTION 4. Sections 85.064(b) and (c), Election Code, are |
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| 41 | 41 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 42 | 42 | | (b) Early voting by personal appearance at each temporary |
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| 43 | 43 | | branch polling place established under Section 85.062(d) shall be |
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| 44 | 44 | | conducted on the same days and during the same hours that voting is |
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| 45 | 45 | | required to be conducted at the main early voting polling place |
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| 46 | 46 | | under Section 85.005. [The authority establishing the temporary |
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| 47 | 47 | | branch polling place shall determine the hours during which the |
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| 48 | 48 | | voting is to be conducted on those days. The authority shall order |
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| 49 | 49 | | voting to be conducted for the same number of hours that voting is |
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| 50 | 50 | | required to be conducted on those days at the main early voting |
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| 51 | 51 | | polling place under Section 85.005 on receipt of a written request |
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| 52 | 52 | | for those hours submitted by at least 15 registered voters of the |
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| 53 | 53 | | county. The request must be submitted in time to enable compliance |
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| 54 | 54 | | with Section 85.067.] |
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| 55 | 55 | | (c) Early voting by personal appearance at a temporary |
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| 56 | 56 | | branch polling place other than a temporary branch polling place |
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| 57 | 57 | | established under Section 85.062(d) may be conducted on any one or |
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| 58 | 58 | | more days [and during any hours] of the period for early voting by |
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| 59 | 59 | | personal appearance, as determined by the authority establishing |
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| 60 | 60 | | the branch. Voting on those days must be during the same hours that |
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| 61 | 61 | | voting is required to be conducted at the main early voting place |
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| 62 | 62 | | under Section 85.005. |
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| 63 | 63 | | SECTION 5. Section 85.065(b), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 64 | 64 | | read as follows: |
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| 65 | 65 | | (b) Voting at a temporary branch polling place may be |
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| 66 | 66 | | conducted on any one or more days [and during any hours] of the |
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| 67 | 67 | | period for early voting by personal appearance, as determined by |
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| 68 | 68 | | the authority establishing the branch. Voting on those days must be |
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| 69 | 69 | | during the same hours that voting is required to be conducted at the |
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| 70 | 70 | | main early voting place under Section 85.005. The authority |
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| 71 | 71 | | authorized under Section 85.006 to order early voting on a Saturday |
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| 72 | 72 | | or Sunday may also order, in the manner prescribed by that section, |
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| 73 | 73 | | early voting to be conducted on a Saturday or Sunday at any one or |
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| 74 | 74 | | more of the temporary branch polling places. |
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| 75 | 75 | | SECTION 6. Sections 85.005(b) through (d), Election Code, |
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| 76 | 76 | | are repealed. |
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| 77 | 77 | | SECTION 7. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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| 78 | 78 | | an election for which early voting begins on or after September 1, |
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| 79 | 79 | | 2009. |
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| 80 | 80 | | SECTION 8. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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