| 1 | 1 | | 2015S0011-1 11/03/14 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | By: Garcia S.B. No. 141 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | relating to a voter educator program for high school seniors. |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. This Act may be cited as the Educating Voters of |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | Tomorrow (E-VOT) Act. |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 31, Election Code, is |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Section 31.015 to read as follows: |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 31.015. VOTER EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | SENIORS. (a) The secretary of state, in consultation with the |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | commissioner of education, shall develop a nonpartisan voter |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | education program designed to be presented to high school seniors. |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | (b) The voter education program developed under Subsection |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | (a) must: |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | (1) provide information concerning: |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | (A) the importance of voting; |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | (B) the manner in which a person may register to |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | vote in this state; |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | (C) the manner in which a person may vote using |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | the voting systems most commonly used in this state; |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | (D) election dates, as provided under Chapter 41; |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | (E) the hours polls are open; |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | (F) voting before the date of an election; and |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | (G) how to learn the correct voting location; and |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | (2) provide an opportunity, during the period in which |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | the program is being presented, for students to complete voter |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | registration application forms. |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | (c) Once each year, at the request of an administrator of a |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | public or private high school, the county clerk or county elections |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | administrator, as applicable, for the county in which the school is |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | located, or the clerk's or administrator's designee, may present |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | the program to high school seniors at the school. The program must |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | be presented at school during regular school hours. |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
|---|