Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB953 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R5326 GRM-D
2	2	By: Alvarado H.B. No. 953
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to electronic voter registration.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 13, Election Code, is
10	10	amended by adding Section 13.009 to read as follows:
11	11	Sec. 13.009. ELECTRONIC VOTER REGISTRATION. (a) The
12	12	secretary of state shall implement a program to allow a person who
13	13	has an unexpired driver's license or personal identification card
14	14	issued in this state to complete a voter registration application
15	15	over the Internet from the official website of this state. The
16	16	websites of the secretary of state and the Department of Public
17	17	Safety must also provide a link to the location of the application
18	18	on the official website of this state.
19	19	(b) An applicant for electronic voter registration must:
20	20	(1) attest to the truth of the information provided on
21	21	the application by affirmatively accepting the information as true;
22	22	and
23	23	(2) affirmatively consent to the use of the signature
24	24	on the applicant's driver's license or personal identification card
25	25	for voter registration purposes.
26	26	(c) For each application the program shall:
27	27	(1) require that a digital copy of the applicant's
28	28	signature be obtained from the Department of Public Safety; and
29	29	(2) compare the information provided by the applicant
30	30	against Department of Public Safety records.
31	31	(d) If the information submitted by an applicant does not
32	32	match Department of Public Safety records, the program shall:
33	33	(1) notify the applicant that the application cannot
34	34	be processed electronically; and
35	35	(2) advise the applicant to print an application and
36	36	submit it to the voter registrar of the county in which the
37	37	applicant resides by mail or personal delivery.
38	38	(e) If the information submitted by an applicant matches
39	39	Department of Public Safety records, the program shall forward the
40	40	application to the registrar of the county in which the applicant
41	41	states that the applicant resides.
42	42	(f) On receipt of an application under Subsection (e), the
43	43	registrar shall review the application in accordance with Section
44	44	13.071.
45	45	(g) An application electronically submitted under this
46	46	section is considered for all purposes as an application submitted
47	47	by mail under this title.
48	48	(h) The secretary of state shall adopt rules as necessary to
49	49	implement this section, including rules to provide for additional
50	50	security measures necessary to ensure the accuracy and integrity of
51	51	applications submitted electronically.
52	52	(i) The rules adopted under Subsection (h) must require
53	53	that:
54	54	(1) the Internet website through which a person may
55	55	complete a voter registration application include a description of
56	56	the offense described by Section 13.007 in a conspicuous location
57	57	on the website near the place where the person begins or submits the
58	58	application; and
59	59	(2) the state electronic Internet portal project be
60	60	used to authenticate the identity of a person who submits an
61	61	application electronically under this section.
62	62	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.