84R23186 SRS-F
By: Vo H.B. No. 3902
Substitute the following for H.B. No. 3902:
By: Reynolds C.S.H.B. No. 3902
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to providing a voter in a party primary notice of party
conventions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 162.004(c), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(c) If a voter is accepted to vote without presenting a
registration certificate, the presiding judge shall issue the voter
an affiliation certificate. The certificate is not required to be
issued to a voter in a runoff primary unless the voter requests it.
The affiliation certificate may be combined with the notice
provided under Section 172.1114. If the combined form is used, an
election officer is not required to comply with Subsection (b).
SECTION 2. Subchapter E, Chapter 172, Election Code, is
amended by adding Section 172.1114 to read as follows:
Sec. 172.1114. DISTRIBUTION OF NOTICE OF CONVENTIONS. (a)
A political party may prepare a notice not larger than letter-sized
for distribution to each voter participating in the party's primary
election at the time the voter is accepted for voting.
(b) The notice may include:
(1) information describing the party's convention
process;
(2) information detailing the time and place of the
party's first level convention process;
(3) contact information for the county and state
political parties; and
(4) website links for information and registration for
party conventions.
(c) The state chair of a political party shall prescribe a
form for a notice that may be used in any county. A county chair of
a political party may prescribe a specific notice for the county
chair's county. The same notice must be used in all precincts
within a county.
(d) A notice must be approved by the secretary of state. If
a county chair of a political party uses the form of notice
prescribed by the state chair, only the convention location and
time may be added without the secretary of state's approval.
(e) A county chair of a political party shall supply a
notice prepared according to this section to the authority
conducting the election not later than the 30th day before the date
early voting by personal appearance begins.
(f) The secretary of state shall prescribe procedures and
adopt rules as necessary to implement this section.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2015.