| 1 | 1 | | 87R3399 BRG-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Oliverson H.B. No. 1138 |
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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 tracking of an application for a ballot |
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| 8 | 8 | | voted by mail or of a ballot voted by mail. |
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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. Chapter 86, Election Code, is amended by adding |
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| 11 | 11 | | Section 86.015 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 86.015. ELECTRONIC TRACKING OF APPLICATION FOR BALLOT |
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| 13 | 13 | | VOTED BY MAIL OR BALLOT VOTED BY MAIL. (a) The secretary of state |
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| 14 | 14 | | shall develop or otherwise provide an online tool to each early |
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| 15 | 15 | | voting clerk that enables a person who submits an application for a |
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| 16 | 16 | | ballot to be voted by mail to track the location and status of the |
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| 17 | 17 | | person's application and ballot on the secretary's Internet |
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| 18 | 18 | | website and on the county's Internet website if the early voting |
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| 19 | 19 | | clerk is the county clerk of a county that maintains an Internet |
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| 20 | 20 | | website. |
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| 21 | 21 | | (b) An online tool used under this section must update the |
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| 22 | 22 | | applicable Internet website as soon as practicable after each of |
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| 23 | 23 | | the following events occurs: |
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| 24 | 24 | | (1) receipt by the early voting clerk of the person's |
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| 25 | 25 | | application for a ballot to be voted by mail; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2) acceptance or rejection by the early voting clerk |
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| 27 | 27 | | of the person's application for a ballot to be voted by mail; |
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| 28 | 28 | | (3) placement in the mail by the early voting clerk of |
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| 29 | 29 | | the person's official ballot; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (4) receipt by the early voting clerk of the person's |
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| 31 | 31 | | marked ballot; and |
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| 32 | 32 | | (5) acceptance or rejection by the early voting ballot |
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| 33 | 33 | | board of a person's marked ballot. |
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| 34 | 34 | | (c) The secretary of state shall adopt rules and prescribe |
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| 35 | 35 | | procedures as necessary to implement this section. |
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| 36 | 36 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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