| 1 | 1 | | 85R1140 SRS-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Dutton H.B. No. 159 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to electronic voter registration. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Section 13.002, Election Code, is amended by |
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| 10 | 10 | | amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (e-1) to read as |
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| 11 | 11 | | follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (a) A person desiring to register to vote must submit an |
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| 13 | 13 | | application to the registrar of the county in which the person |
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| 14 | 14 | | resides. Except as provided by Subsections [Subsection] (e) and |
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| 15 | 15 | | (e-1), an application must be submitted by personal delivery, by |
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| 16 | 16 | | mail, or by telephonic facsimile machine in accordance with |
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| 17 | 17 | | Sections 13.143(d) and (d-2). |
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| 18 | 18 | | (e-1) A registrar shall adopt procedures to allow a person |
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| 19 | 19 | | to complete a voter registration application over the Internet. |
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| 20 | 20 | | The secretary of state shall review any procedures adopted under |
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| 21 | 21 | | this section to ensure the procedures comply with the provisions of |
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| 22 | 22 | | this code. |
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| 23 | 23 | | SECTION 2. Section 13.072, Election Code, is amended by |
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| 24 | 24 | | adding Subsection (e) to read as follows: |
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| 25 | 25 | | (e) A registrar may not reject an application that was |
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| 26 | 26 | | forwarded to the registrar under Subsection (d) because the |
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| 27 | 27 | | application was submitted electronically. |
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| 28 | 28 | | SECTION 3. The voter registrar of a county must adopt |
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| 29 | 29 | | procedures for the acceptance of voter registration applications |
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| 30 | 30 | | under Section 13.002(e-1), Election Code, as added by this Act, not |
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| 31 | 31 | | later than September 1, 2017. |
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| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 33 | 33 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 34 | 34 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 35 | 35 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 36 | 36 | | Act takes effect on the 91st day after the last day of the |
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| 37 | 37 | | legislative session. |
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