| 1 | 1 | | 85R4265 GRM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Rodriguez of Bexar H.B. No. 952 |
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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 the use of e-mail on a vote by mail application. |
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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 84.011(a), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 10 | 10 | | read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | (a) The officially prescribed application form for an early |
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| 12 | 12 | | voting ballot must include: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (1) immediately preceding the signature space the |
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| 14 | 14 | | statement: "I certify that the information given in this |
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| 15 | 15 | | application is true, and I understand that giving false information |
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| 16 | 16 | | in this application is a crime."; |
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| 17 | 17 | | (2) a statement informing the applicant of the |
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| 18 | 18 | | offenses prescribed by Sections 84.003 and 84.004; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (3) spaces for entering an applicant's voter |
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| 20 | 20 | | registration number and county election precinct of registration, |
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| 21 | 21 | | with a statement informing the applicant that failure to furnish |
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| 22 | 22 | | that information does not invalidate the application; and |
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| 23 | 23 | | (4) on an application for a ballot to be voted by mail: |
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| 24 | 24 | | (A) a space for an applicant applying on the |
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| 25 | 25 | | ground of absence from the county of residence to indicate the date |
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| 26 | 26 | | on or after which the applicant can receive mail at the address |
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| 27 | 27 | | outside the county; |
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| 28 | 28 | | (B) a space for indicating the fact that an |
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| 29 | 29 | | applicant whose application is signed by a witness cannot make the |
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| 30 | 30 | | applicant's mark and a space for indicating the relationship or |
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| 31 | 31 | | lack of relationship of the witness to the applicant; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (C) a space for entering an applicant's telephone |
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| 33 | 33 | | number and e-mail address, with a statement informing the applicant |
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| 34 | 34 | | that failure to furnish that information does not invalidate the |
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| 35 | 35 | | application; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (D) a space or box for an applicant applying on |
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| 37 | 37 | | the ground of age or disability to indicate that the address to |
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| 38 | 38 | | which the ballot is to be mailed is the address of a facility or |
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| 39 | 39 | | relative described by Section 84.002(a)(3), if applicable; |
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| 40 | 40 | | (E) a space or box for an applicant applying on |
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| 41 | 41 | | the ground of confinement in jail to indicate that the address to |
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| 42 | 42 | | which the ballot is to be mailed is the address of a relative |
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| 43 | 43 | | described by Section 84.002(a)(4), if applicable; |
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| 44 | 44 | | (F) a space for an applicant applying on the |
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| 45 | 45 | | ground of age or disability to indicate if the application is an |
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| 46 | 46 | | application under Section 86.0015; |
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| 47 | 47 | | (G) spaces for entering the signature, printed |
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| 48 | 48 | | name, and residence address of any person assisting the applicant; |
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| 49 | 49 | | (H) a statement informing the applicant of the |
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| 50 | 50 | | condition prescribed by Section 81.005; and |
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| 51 | 51 | | (I) a statement informing the applicant of the |
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| 52 | 52 | | requirement prescribed by Section 86.003(c). |
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| 53 | 53 | | SECTION 2. Section 86.001, Election Code, is amended by |
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| 54 | 54 | | adding Subsections (f) and (f-1) to read as follows: |
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| 55 | 55 | | (f) The early voting clerk, before rejecting an |
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| 56 | 56 | | application, shall make a reasonable effort to contact the |
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| 57 | 57 | | applicant by e-mail at any e-mail address provided on the |
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| 58 | 58 | | application, to ask questions about the application. The applicant |
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| 59 | 59 | | may make clerical corrections to the application by e-mail, |
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| 60 | 60 | | including correcting the applicant's date of birth, correcting |
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| 61 | 61 | | spelling of the applicant's name, or providing additional |
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| 62 | 62 | | information to make corrections to an address or county of |
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| 63 | 63 | | residence. If an applicant has submitted an address that is not an |
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| 64 | 64 | | acceptable mailing address, the applicant may submit to the early |
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| 65 | 65 | | voting clerk a mailing address by e-mail. If the early voting clerk |
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| 66 | 66 | | does not receive a response before the fourth day after the date the |
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| 67 | 67 | | clerk sent an e-mail to the e-mail address provided on the |
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| 68 | 68 | | application, the clerk may reject the application. The early |
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| 69 | 69 | | voting clerk shall attach to and maintain with the original |
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| 70 | 70 | | application submissions and corrections provided by e-mail under |
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| 71 | 71 | | this subsection. |
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| 72 | 72 | | (f-1) An applicant may not change the address or county of |
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| 73 | 73 | | residence submitted on the original application to a different |
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| 74 | 74 | | address or county of residence by e-mail. |
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| 75 | 75 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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