Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB111 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	By: Martinez Fischer H.B. No. 111
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to providing for voter registration at a polling place
7	7	during early voting by personal appearance and related procedures.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 12, Election Code, is
10	10	amended by adding Section 12.007 to read as follows:
11	11	Sec. 12.007. CERTAIN ELECTION OFFICERS ARE VOTER
12	12	REGISTRARS. An election officer serving a polling place for early
13	13	voting by personal appearance is a deputy voter registrar and has
14	14	the same authority as a regular deputy registrar.
15	15	SECTION 2. Section 65.051(a), Election Code, is amended to
16	16	read as follows:
17	17	(a) The early voting ballot board shall verify and count
18	18	provisional ballots as provided by this subchapter not later than
19	19	the 10th [seventh] day after the date of an election.
20	20	SECTION 3. Section 65.054, Election Code, is amended by
21	21	amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (b-1) to read as
22	22	follows:
23	23	(b) Except as provided by Subsection (b-1), a [A]
24	24	provisional ballot may be accepted only if the board determines
25	25	that, from the information in the affidavit or contained in public
26	26	records, the person is eligible to vote in the election and has not
27	27	previously voted in that election.
28	28	(b-1) A provisional ballot cast under Section 85.0312 shall
29	29	be accepted if the voter registrar determines the applicant is
30	30	eligible for registration under Section 85.0312(d).
31	31	SECTION 4. Section 67.003, Election Code, is amended to
32	32	read as follows:
33	33	Sec. 67.003. TIME FOR LOCAL CANVASS. (a) Except as
34	34	provided by Subsection (b), each local canvassing authority shall
35	35	convene to conduct the local canvass at the time set by the
36	36	canvassing authority's presiding officer not earlier than the 11th
37	37	[eighth] day or later than the 14th [11th] day after election day.
38	38	(b) For an election held on the uniform election date in
39	39	May, the local canvass must occur not later than the 14th [11th] day
40	40	after election day and not earlier than the later of:
41	41	(1) the third day after election day;
42	42	(2) the date on which the early voting ballot board has
43	43	verified and counted all provisional ballots, if a provisional
44	44	ballot has been cast in the election; or
45	45	(3) the date on which all timely received ballots cast
46	46	from addresses outside of the United States are counted, if a ballot
47	47	to be voted by mail in the election was provided to a person outside
48	48	of the United States.
49	49	SECTION 5. Subchapter B, Chapter 85, Election Code, is
50	50	amended by adding Section 85.0312 to read as follows:
51	51	Sec. 85.0312. REGISTRATION AT POLLING PLACE DURING EARLY
52	52	VOTING WITH PRESENTATION OF PHOTO IDENTIFICATION. (a) A person who
53	53	would be eligible to vote in an election under Section 11.001, but
54	54	for the requirement to be a registered voter, shall be accepted
55	55	during early voting by personal appearance for voting the ballot
56	56	for the precinct of the person's residence as shown by the
57	57	identification presented if, on the day the person offers to vote,
58	58	the person:
59	59	(1) submits a voter registration application that
60	60	complies with Section 13.002 to an election officer at the polling
61	61	place; and
62	62	(2) presents as proof of residence a photo
63	63	identification under Section 63.0101(a) that states the person's
64	64	current address on the day the person seeks to vote.
65	65	(b) The election officer shall return the original proof of
66	66	residence to the voter.
67	67	(c) A person voting under this section shall vote a
68	68	provisional ballot in the manner provided by Section 63.011 except
69	69	that the person is not required to submit the affidavit under
70	70	Section 63.011(a).
71	71	(d) For each registration corresponding to a ballot cast
72	72	under this section, the voter registrar shall review the
73	73	application and determine whether the applicant is eligible for
74	74	registration as provided by Subchapter C, Chapter 13. The
75	75	registrar shall inform the early voting ballot board of a
76	76	determination made under this subsection. A registration approved
77	77	under this subsection takes effect on the date the vote was cast.
78	78	(e) The secretary of state may by rule:
79	79	(1) designate additional documents that a person may
80	80	offer to prove the person's residence to register and vote under
81	81	this section; and
82	82	(2) prescribe procedures to implement this section.
83	83	(f) An authority holding an election that does not include a
84	84	statewide or federal election is not required to comply with this
85	85	section.
86	86	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015
87	87	.