Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB783 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R268 JRJ-D
2	2	By: Miller of Fort Bend H.B. No. 783
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to allowing a person who will be 18 years of age on the date
8	8	of the general election for state and county officers to vote in the
9	9	preceding primary elections.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Section 13.001, Election Code, is amended by
12	12	amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsection (d) to read
13	13	as follows:
14	14	(a) To be eligible for registration as a voter in this
15	15	state, a person must:
16	16	(1) except as provided by Subsection (d), be 18 years
17	17	of age or older;
18	18	(2) be a United States citizen;
19	19	(3) not have been determined by a final judgment of a
20	20	court exercising probate jurisdiction to be:
21	21	(A) totally mentally incapacitated; or
22	22	(B) partially mentally incapacitated without the
23	23	right to vote;
24	24	(4) not have been finally convicted of a felony or, if
25	25	so convicted, must have:
26	26	(A) fully discharged the person's sentence,
27	27	including any term of incarceration, parole, or supervision, or
28	28	completed a period of probation ordered by any court; or
29	29	(B) been pardoned or otherwise released from the
30	30	resulting disability to vote; and
31	31	(5) be a resident of the county in which application
32	32	for registration is made.
33	33	(b) Except as provided by Subsection (d), to [To] be
34	34	eligible to apply for registration, a person must, on the date the
35	35	registration application is submitted to the registrar, be at least
36	36	17 years and 10 months of age and satisfy the requirements of
37	37	Subsection (a) except for age.
38	38	(d) A person who will be 18 years of age or older on the date
39	39	of the next general election for state and county officers is
40	40	eligible to register as a voter in this state for the purposes of
41	41	voting in the primary election to determine a political party's
42	42	nominees for the general election if the person satisfies the
43	43	requirements of Subsection (a) except for age. The secretary of
44	44	state shall prescribe procedures necessary to implement this
45	45	subsection.
46	46	SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 172, Election Code, is
47	47	amended by adding Section 172.005 to read as follows:
48	48	Sec. 172.005. VOTING BY PERSON UNDER AGE 18. (a)
49	49	Notwithstanding Section 11.001, a person may vote in a primary
50	50	election if the person:
51	51	(1) will be 18 years of age or older on the date of the
52	52	subsequent general election for state and county officers; and
53	53	(2) satisfies the requirements for being a qualified
54	54	voter except for age.
55	55	(b) The secretary of state, after consulting with the state
56	56	chairman of each political party required to make nominations by
57	57	primary election, shall prescribe the procedures necessary to
58	58	implement this section.
59	59	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect on the date on which the
60	60	constitutional amendment proposed by the 84th Legislature, Regular
61	61	Session, 2015, authorizing certain persons under the age of 18 to
62	62	vote in a primary election takes effect. If that amendment is not
63	63	approved by the voters, this Act has no effect.