| 1 | 1 | | 85R9499 SRS-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Fallon H.B. No. 3994 |
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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 jointly held elections for political subdivisions. |
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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 31.0925(b), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 10 | 10 | | read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | (b) The governing body of a political subdivision shall |
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| 12 | 12 | | request an election services contract with the county elections |
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| 13 | 13 | | administrator to perform all duties and functions of the political |
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| 14 | 14 | | subdivision in relation to an election that may be transferred |
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| 15 | 15 | | under this subchapter [if the political subdivision receives a |
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| 16 | 16 | | petition requesting the contract signed by a number of registered |
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| 17 | 17 | | voters residing in the political subdivision that is equal to or |
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| 18 | 18 | | exceeds one percent of all votes cast in the most recent general |
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| 19 | 19 | | election held by the political subdivision]. |
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| 20 | 20 | | SECTION 2. Sections 271.002(a) and (b), Election Code, are |
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| 21 | 21 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (a) If the elections ordered by the authorities of two or |
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| 23 | 23 | | more political subdivisions are to be held on the same day in all or |
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| 24 | 24 | | part of the same county, the governing bodies of the political |
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| 25 | 25 | | subdivisions shall [may] enter into an agreement to hold the |
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| 26 | 26 | | elections jointly in the election precincts that can be served by |
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| 27 | 27 | | common polling places, subject to Section 271.003. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (b) If an election ordered by the governor and the elections |
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| 29 | 29 | | ordered by the authorities of one or more political subdivisions |
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| 30 | 30 | | are to be held on the same day in all or part of the same county, the |
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| 31 | 31 | | commissioners court of a county in which the election ordered by the |
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| 32 | 32 | | governor is to be held and the governing bodies of the other |
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| 33 | 33 | | political subdivisions shall [may] enter into an agreement to hold |
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| 34 | 34 | | the elections jointly in the election precincts that can be served |
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| 35 | 35 | | by common polling places, subject to Section 271.003. |
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| 36 | 36 | | SECTION 3. Section 271.003(a), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 37 | 37 | | read as follows: |
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| 38 | 38 | | (a) A regular county polling place shall [may] be used for a |
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| 39 | 39 | | common polling place in a joint election. |
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| 40 | 40 | | SECTION 4. Section 271.007, Election Code, is amended to |
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| 41 | 41 | | read as follows: |
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| 42 | 42 | | Sec. 271.007. BALLOT. Where possible, a [A] single ballot |
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| 43 | 43 | | containing all the offices or propositions stating measures to be |
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| 44 | 44 | | voted on at a particular polling place shall [may] be used in a |
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| 45 | 45 | | joint election. A voter may not be permitted to select a ballot |
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| 46 | 46 | | containing an office or proposition stating a measure on which the |
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| 47 | 47 | | voter is ineligible to vote. |
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| 48 | 48 | | SECTION 5. Sections 31.0925(a) and (c), 42.002(c), and |
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| 49 | 49 | | 271.002(c), Election Code, are repealed. |
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| 50 | 50 | | SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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