84R4309 ADM-D
By: Alvarado H.B. No. 954
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to an electronic application for voter registration and a
ballot to be voted by mail.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 13, Election Code, is
amended by adding Section 13.009 to read as follows:
Sec. 13.009. ELECTRONIC VOTER REGISTRATION. (a) The
secretary of state shall implement a program to allow a person to
complete a voter registration application over the Internet from
the official website of this state. The websites of the secretary
of state and the Department of Public Safety must also provide a
link to the location of the application on the official website of
this state.
(b) An applicant for electronic voter registration who has
an unexpired driver's license or personal identification card
issued in this state must:
(1) attest to the truth of the information provided on
the application by affirmatively accepting the information as true;
and
(2) affirmatively consent to the use of the signature
on the applicant's driver's license or personal identification card
for voter registration purposes.
(c) An applicant for electronic voter registration who does
not have an unexpired driver's license or personal identification
card issued in this state must:
(1) attest to the truth of the information provided on
the application by affirmatively accepting the information as true;
and
(2) print a registration application from the website
the applicant is using to register, sign the application, and mail
it to the registrar.
(d) The program must allow an applicant to:
(1) indicate whether the applicant is eligible for a
ballot to be voted by mail; and
(2) if the applicant is eligible, complete an
application for a ballot to be voted by mail as part of the
registration process.
(e) For each application submitted under Subsection (b),
the program shall:
(1) require that a digital copy of the applicant's
signature be obtained from the Department of Public Safety; and
(2) compare the information provided by the applicant
against Department of Public Safety records.
(f) For each application submitted under Subsection (c),
the program shall provide the applicant with:
(1) a registration application that the applicant can
print from the registration website, sign, and mail to the
registrar as required under Subsection (c)(2); and
(2) information about how the applicant can obtain a
driver's license or personal identification card from the
Department of Public Safety.
(g) If the information submitted by an applicant under
Subsection (b) does not match Department of Public Safety records,
the program shall:
(1) notify the applicant that the application cannot
be processed electronically; and
(2) advise the applicant to print an application and
submit it to the voter registrar of the county in which the
applicant resides by mail or personal delivery.
(h) If the information submitted by an applicant under
Subsection (b) matches Department of Public Safety records, the
program shall forward the application to the registrar of the
county in which the applicant states that the applicant resides.
(i) On receipt of an application under Subsection (h), the
registrar shall review the application in accordance with Section
13.071.
(j) The program must allow an applicant, at any time, to
print the application for completion and submission to the voter
registrar by mail or personal delivery.
(k) An application electronically submitted under this
section is considered for all purposes as an application submitted
by mail under this title.
(l) The secretary of state shall adopt rules as necessary to
implement this section, including rules to:
(1) provide for additional security measures
necessary to ensure the accuracy and integrity of applications
submitted electronically; and
(2) ensure that an application for a ballot to be voted
by mail that is submitted under this section is forwarded as soon as
possible to the appropriate early voting clerk.
(m) The rules adopted under Subsection (l) must require
that:
(1) the Internet website through which a person may
complete a voter registration application include a description of
the offense described by Section 13.007 in a conspicuous location
on the website near the place where the person begins or submits the
application; and
(2) the state electronic Internet portal project be
used to authenticate the identity of a person who submits an
application electronically under this section.
SECTION 2. Section 84.007(b), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(b) An application must be submitted to the early voting
clerk by:
(1) mail;
(2) common or contract carrier; [or]
(3) telephonic facsimile machine, if a machine is
available in the clerk's office; or
(4) electronic means under Section 13.009.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.