| 5 | 3 | | |
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| 6 | 4 | | |
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| 7 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 7 | | relating to providing a voter in a party primary notice of party |
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| 10 | 8 | | conventions. |
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| 11 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 162.004(c), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 13 | 11 | | read as follows: |
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| 14 | 12 | | (c) If a voter is accepted to vote without presenting a |
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| 15 | 13 | | registration certificate, the presiding judge shall issue the voter |
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| 16 | 14 | | an affiliation certificate. The certificate is not required to be |
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| 17 | 15 | | issued to a voter in a runoff primary unless the voter requests it. |
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| 18 | 16 | | The affiliation certificate may be combined with the notice |
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| 19 | 17 | | provided under Section 172.1114. If the combined form is used, an |
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| 20 | 18 | | election officer is not required to comply with Subsection (b). |
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| 21 | 19 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter E, Chapter 172, Election Code, is |
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| 22 | 20 | | amended by adding Section 172.1114 to read as follows: |
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| 23 | 21 | | Sec. 172.1114. DISTRIBUTION OF NOTICE OF CONVENTIONS. (a) |
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| 24 | 22 | | A political party may prepare a notice not larger than letter-sized |
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| 25 | 23 | | for distribution to each voter participating in the party's primary |
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| 26 | 24 | | election at the time the voter is accepted for voting. |
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| 27 | 25 | | (b) The notice may include: |
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| 28 | 26 | | (1) information describing the party's convention |
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| 29 | 27 | | process; |
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| 30 | 28 | | (2) information detailing the time and place of the |
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| 31 | 29 | | party's first level convention process; |
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| 32 | 30 | | (3) contact information for the county and state |
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| 33 | 31 | | political parties; and |
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| 34 | 32 | | (4) website links for information and registration for |
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| 35 | 33 | | party conventions. |
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| 36 | 34 | | (c) The state chair of a political party shall prescribe a |
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| 37 | 35 | | form for a notice that may be used in any county. A county chair of |
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| 38 | 36 | | a political party may prescribe a specific notice for the county |
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| 39 | 37 | | chair's county. The same notice must be used in all precincts |
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| 40 | 38 | | within a county. |
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| 41 | 39 | | (d) A notice must be approved by the secretary of state. If |
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| 42 | 40 | | a county chair of a political party uses the form of notice |
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| 43 | 41 | | prescribed by the state chair, only the convention location and |
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| 44 | 42 | | time may be added without the secretary of state's approval. |
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| 45 | 43 | | (e) A county chair of a political party shall supply a |
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| 46 | 44 | | notice prepared according to this section to the authority |
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| 47 | 45 | | conducting the election not later than the 30th day before the date |
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| 48 | 46 | | early voting by personal appearance begins. |
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| 49 | 47 | | (f) The secretary of state shall prescribe procedures and |
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| 50 | 48 | | adopt rules as necessary to implement this section. |
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| 51 | 49 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 52 | 50 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 53 | 51 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 54 | 52 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 55 | 53 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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