| 1 | 1 | | 85R849 SRS-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Taylor of Collin S.B. No. 375 |
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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 providing a voter in a party primary notice of party |
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| 8 | 8 | | conventions. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 61.003(b)(1), Election Code, is amended |
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| 11 | 11 | | to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (1) "Electioneering" includes the posting, use, or |
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| 13 | 13 | | distribution of political signs or literature. The term does not |
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| 14 | 14 | | include the distribution of a notice of a party convention |
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| 15 | 15 | | authorized under Section 172.1114. |
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| 16 | 16 | | SECTION 2. Section 162.004(c), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 17 | 17 | | read as follows: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (c) If a voter is accepted to vote without presenting a |
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| 19 | 19 | | registration certificate, the presiding judge shall issue the voter |
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| 20 | 20 | | an affiliation certificate. The certificate is not required to be |
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| 21 | 21 | | issued to a voter in a runoff primary unless the voter requests it. |
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| 22 | 22 | | An affiliation certificate issued under this subsection may be |
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| 23 | 23 | | combined with the notice provided under Section 172.1114. |
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| 24 | 24 | | SECTION 3. Subchapter E, Chapter 172, Election Code, is |
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| 25 | 25 | | amended by adding Section 172.1114 to read as follows: |
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| 26 | 26 | | Sec. 172.1114. DISTRIBUTION OF NOTICE OF CONVENTIONS. (a) |
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| 27 | 27 | | A political party may prepare a notice not larger than letter-sized |
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| 28 | 28 | | for distribution to each voter participating in the party's primary |
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| 29 | 29 | | election at the time the voter is accepted for voting by personal |
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| 30 | 30 | | appearance. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (b) The notice may include: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (1) information describing the party's convention |
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| 33 | 33 | | process; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (2) information detailing the time and place of the |
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| 35 | 35 | | party's first level convention process; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (3) contact information for the county and state |
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| 37 | 37 | | political parties; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | (4) website links for information and registration for |
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| 39 | 39 | | party conventions. |
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| 40 | 40 | | (c) The state chair of a political party shall prescribe a |
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| 41 | 41 | | form for a notice approved by the secretary of state that may be |
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| 42 | 42 | | used in any county. |
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| 43 | 43 | | (d) A county chair of a political party that elects to |
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| 44 | 44 | | distribute a notice prepared under this section shall supply a |
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| 45 | 45 | | notice to the authority conducting the election not later than the |
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| 46 | 46 | | 45th day before the date early voting by personal appearance |
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| 47 | 47 | | begins. |
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| 48 | 48 | | (e) The secretary of state shall prescribe procedures and |
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| 49 | 49 | | adopt rules as necessary to implement this section. |
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| 50 | 50 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 51 | 51 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 52 | 52 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 53 | 53 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 54 | 54 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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