| 1 | 1 | | 84R8191 ATP-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Thompson of Harris H.B. No. 1540 |
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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 renewing the application to receive ballots to be voted |
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| 8 | 8 | | by mail for certain elections held during a calendar year. |
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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 86.0015, Election Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | adding Subsection (e) to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (e) The county clerk shall provide to a voter who has |
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| 13 | 13 | | applied for and qualifies to receive ballots to be voted by mail |
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| 14 | 14 | | under this section, with the ballot for an election held on the |
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| 15 | 15 | | November uniform election date, an application for a ballot to be |
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| 16 | 16 | | voted by mail for the next calendar year and instructions for |
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| 17 | 17 | | submitting the application under this subsection. The application: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (1) may be returned with the voter's ballot in the |
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| 19 | 19 | | carrier envelope; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (2) applies to the calendar year following the |
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| 21 | 21 | | November election, notwithstanding Subsection (b)(2)(A); and |
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| 22 | 22 | | (3) must be signed by the applicant, or by a witness as |
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| 23 | 23 | | provided by Section 84.003. |
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| 24 | 24 | | SECTION 2. Section 87.044, Election Code, is amended by |
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| 25 | 25 | | adding Subsection (c) to read as follows: |
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| 26 | 26 | | (c) The early voting ballot board shall deliver to the early |
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| 27 | 27 | | voting clerk any early voting applications included as provided by |
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| 28 | 28 | | Section 86.0015(e) in a carrier envelope with a ballot voted in an |
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| 29 | 29 | | election held on the November uniform election date. |
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| 30 | 30 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 31 | 31 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 32 | 32 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 33 | 33 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 34 | 34 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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