86R4539 ATP-F
By: Thompson of Harris H.B. No. 704
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to renewing the application to receive ballots to be voted
by mail for certain elections held during a calendar year.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 86.0015, Election Code, is amended by
adding Subsections (g) and (h) to read as follows:
(g) The county clerk shall provide to a voter who has
applied for and qualifies to receive ballots to be voted by mail
under this section, with the ballot for an election held on the
November uniform election date of an even-numbered year, an
application for a ballot to be voted by mail and instructions for
submitting the application under this subsection. The application:
(1) must be preprinted so that the voter is required
only to:
(A) sign and date the application; and
(B) indicate in which political party's primary
election the voter seeks to vote or indicate that the voter does not
want to receive a primary election ballot;
(2) may be returned with the voter's ballot in the
carrier envelope;
(3) applies to each election that occurs before
December 31 of the next even-numbered year following the November
election, notwithstanding Subsection (b)(2)(A);
(4) must be signed by the applicant, or by a witness as
provided by Section 84.003; and
(5) must be on a form prescribed by the secretary of
state.
(h) The secretary of state shall prescribe an application
form and instructions under Subsection (g) required for use by each
county.
SECTION 2. Section 87.043, Election Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:
(e) After the final canvass for an election held on the
November uniform election date of an even-numbered year, the early
voting ballot board shall determine whether an application provided
to the voter under Section 86.0015(g) is stored in an envelope with
or otherwise included with a rejected ballot. The early voting
ballot board shall deliver to the early voting clerk any early
voting applications described by this subsection.
SECTION 3. Section 87.044, Election Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
(c) The early voting ballot board shall deliver to the early
voting clerk any early voting applications included as provided by
Section 86.0015(g) in a carrier envelope with a ballot voted in an
election held on the November uniform election date of an
even-numbered year regardless of whether the ballot is accepted.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2019.