| 1 | 1 | | By: Israel H.B. No. 2987 |
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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 | | relati |
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| 7 | 7 | | ng to issuance of a receipt for a voter registration |
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| 8 | 8 | | application that may be used for the purpose of voting. |
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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. Subchapter A, Chapter 13, Election Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 13.009 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 13.009. ISSUANCE OF RECEIPT. (a) This section applies |
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| 13 | 13 | | only to a completed registration application that is submitted by |
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| 14 | 14 | | the applicant in person to a voter registrar, deputy registrar, or |
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| 15 | 15 | | volunteer deputy registrar or a voter registration agency |
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| 16 | 16 | | designated under Chapter 20. This section does not apply to a |
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| 17 | 17 | | completed registration application that is submitted by mail. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (b) On receipt of a completed registration application, the |
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| 19 | 19 | | person receiving the application shall prepare a receipt on a form |
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| 20 | 20 | | prescribed by the secretary of state and furnished by the |
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| 21 | 21 | | registrar. |
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| 22 | 22 | | (c) The receipt must contain: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (1) the name of the applicant and, if applicable, the |
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| 24 | 24 | | name of the applicant's agent; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2) the date the completed application is submitted to |
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| 26 | 26 | | the volunteer deputy registrar; and |
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| 27 | 27 | | (3) the following statement: "This receipt is your |
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| 28 | 28 | | proof of application for voter registration. Retain it until you |
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| 29 | 29 | | receive a voter registration certificate from your local voter |
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| 30 | 30 | | registrar. If you do not receive a voter certificate, you may use |
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| 31 | 31 | | this receipt as proof that you timely submitted an application to |
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| 32 | 32 | | vote." |
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| 33 | 33 | | (d) The person receiving the application shall sign the |
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| 34 | 34 | | receipt in the applicant's presence and shall present the signed |
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| 35 | 35 | | receipt to the applicant. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (e) The person receiving the application shall deliver a |
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| 37 | 37 | | duplicate receipt to the registrar with the registration |
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| 38 | 38 | | application or sign and date the application as set forth in |
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| 39 | 39 | | subsection (g). The registrar shall retain the receipt on file with |
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| 40 | 40 | | the application. |
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| 41 | 41 | | (f) A voter registrar may allow a deputy voter registrar to |
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| 42 | 42 | | sign their name, the date of registration, and any additional |
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| 43 | 43 | | information required by the voter registrar on the voter |
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| 44 | 44 | | registration application instead of issuing duplicate receipts. |
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| 45 | 45 | | (g) The secretary of state may prescribe a procedure that is |
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| 46 | 46 | | an alternative to the procedure prescribed by this section that |
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| 47 | 47 | | will ensure the accountability of the registration applications. |
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| 48 | 48 | | SECTION 2. Section 63.011, Election Code, is amended by |
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| 49 | 49 | | adding Subsection (f) to read as follows: |
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| 50 | 50 | | (f) A person who votes a provisional ballot solely because |
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| 51 | 51 | | the person's name was not on the list of registered voters for the |
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| 52 | 52 | | precinct in which the person voted may present a voter registration |
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| 53 | 53 | | receipt issued to the person under Section 13.009 as proof that the |
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| 54 | 54 | | person is registered to vote in the precinct. A person who does not |
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| 55 | 55 | | present a voter registration receipt at the time of voting a |
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| 56 | 56 | | provisional ballot may present the receipt to the voter registrar |
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| 57 | 57 | | in the same manner as presenting identification for a provisional |
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| 58 | 58 | | ballot under Section 65.0541. |
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| 59 | 59 | | SECTION 3. Section 65.054, Election Code, is amended by |
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| 60 | 60 | | adding Subsection (e) and (f) to read as follows: |
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| 61 | 61 | | (e) Any voter who does not appear on the list of registered |
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| 62 | 62 | | voters for the precinct and presents a receipt issued by a deputy |
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| 63 | 63 | | voter registrar shall be noted on the affidavit executed under this |
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| 64 | 64 | | section. The affidavit shall include space for disclosure of the |
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| 65 | 65 | | deputy registrar's name as listed on the receipt and the date the |
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| 66 | 66 | | receipt was issued. The election judge shall sign the affidavit to |
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| 67 | 67 | | attest that the voter presented the receipt and that the |
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| 68 | 68 | | information on the affidavit matches the receipt. |
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| 69 | 69 | | (f) For purposes of Subsection (b)(1), an affidavit |
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| 70 | 70 | | indicating the voter registered in the precinct in which the voter |
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| 71 | 71 | | voted that contains the name of a certified deputy registrar of the |
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| 72 | 72 | | county and the receipt was dated in a timely manner to be eligible |
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| 73 | 73 | | for the election or a receipt presented to the voter registrar under |
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| 74 | 74 | | Section 63.011(f) is proof that the voter is eligible to vote in the |
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| 75 | 75 | | election. The voter registrar shall amend the list of registered |
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| 76 | 76 | | voters accordingly and the early voting ballot board shall count |
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| 77 | 77 | | the ballot. |
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| 78 | 78 | | SECTION 4. Section 13.040, Election Code, is repealed. |
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| 79 | 79 | | SECTION 5. The change in law made by this Act in adding |
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| 80 | 80 | | Section 13.009, Election Code, applies only to a voter registration |
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| 81 | 81 | | application submitted on or after the effective date of this Act. |
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| 82 | 82 | | SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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