Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1151 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	By: Vo H.B. No. 1151
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to the days and hours during which the polls are open for
7	7	early voting by personal appearance.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Section 12.004(d), Election Code, is amended to
10	10	read as follows:
11	11	(d) The [If early voting by personal appearance is required
12	12	to be conducted for extended hours under Section 85.005(c) or for
13	13	weekend hours under Section 85.006(e), the] registrar's office
14	14	shall remain open for providing voter registration information
15	15	during the [extended hours or weekend] hours that the main early
16	16	voting polling place is open for voting.
17	17	SECTION 2. Sections 85.001(a) and (e), Election Code, are
18	18	amended to read as follows:
19	19	(a) The period for early voting by personal appearance
20	20	begins on the 17th day before election day and continues through the
21	21	fourth day before election day, except as otherwise provided by
22	22	this subchapter [section].
23	23	(e) For an election held on the uniform election date in May
24	24	and any resulting runoff election, the period for early voting by
25	25	personal appearance begins on the 12th day before election day and
26	26	continues through the fourth day before election day, except as
27	27	otherwise provided by this subchapter.
28	28	SECTION 3. Section 85.006, Election Code, is amended to
29	29	read as follows:
30	30	Sec. 85.006. EXTENDED VOTING [ON SATURDAY OR SUNDAY]. (a)
31	31	Except as provided by Subsection (b), the authority ordering an
32	32	election may order early voting by personal appearance at the main
33	33	early voting polling place to be conducted:
34	34	(1) on one or more Saturdays or Sundays during the
35	35	early voting period; or
36	36	(2) during an extended early voting period beginning
37	37	on the 19th day before election day for any number of consecutive
38	38	days up to and including the third day before election day.
39	39	(b) In an election in which a county clerk or city secretary
40	40	is the early voting clerk under Section 83.002 or 83.005, only the
41	41	early voting clerk may order extended voting [on a Saturday or
42	42	Sunday]. The clerk must do so by written order.
43	43	(c) Except as otherwise provided by this section, the [The]
44	44	authority ordering extended voting [on a Saturday or Sunday] shall
45	45	determine the hours during which voting is to be conducted.
46	46	(d) The authority authorized to order extended early voting
47	47	[on a Saturday or Sunday] under Subsection (a) or (b) shall order
48	48	[the] voting on a Saturday or Sunday under the applicable
49	49	subsection on receipt of a written request submitted by at least 15
50	50	registered voters of the territory covered by the election. The
51	51	request must be submitted in time to enable compliance with Section
52	52	85.007. The authority is not required to order the voting on a
53	53	particular date specified by the request but shall order the voting
54	54	on at least one Saturday if a Saturday is requested and on at least
55	55	one Sunday if a Sunday is requested.
56	56	(e) In a primary election or the general election for state
57	57	and county officers in a county with a population of 100,000 or
58	58	more, the early voting clerk shall order personal appearance voting
59	59	at the main early voting polling place to be conducted for at least
60	60	12 hours on the last Saturday and for at least five hours on the last
61	61	Sunday of the early voting period. The early voting clerk shall
62	62	order voting to be conducted at those times in those elections in a
63	63	county with a population under 100,000 on receipt of a written
64	64	request for those hours submitted by at least 15 registered voters
65	65	of the county. The request must be submitted in time to enable
66	66	compliance with Section 85.007. This subsection supersedes any
67	67	provision of this subchapter to the extent of any conflict.
68	68	(f) An authority authorized to order extended early voting
69	69	under Subsection (a) or (b) that orders the voting during an
70	70	extended early voting period shall order personal appearance voting
71	71	at the main early voting polling place to be conducted for at least
72	72	12 hours on any weekday or Saturday and for at least five hours on
73	73	any Sunday of the extended early voting period.
74	74	SECTION 4. Sections 85.007(a) and (b), Election Code, are
75	75	amended to read as follows:
76	76	(a) The election order and the election notice must state:
77	77	(1) the date that early voting will begin if under
78	78	Section 85.001(d) the early voting period is to begin later than the
79	79	prescribed date;
80	80	(2) the regular dates and hours that voting will be
81	81	conducted under Section 85.005(b); and
82	82	(3) the dates and hours that extended voting [on
83	83	Saturday or Sunday] is ordered to be conducted under Section
84	84	85.006(a).
85	85	(b) The early voting clerk shall post notice for each
86	86	election stating the dates and hours that extended voting [on a
87	87	Saturday or Sunday] is ordered to be conducted under Section
88	88	85.006(b).
89	89	SECTION 5. Section 85.064(d), Election Code, is amended to
90	90	read as follows:
91	91	(d) The authority authorized under Section 85.006 to order
92	92	extended early voting [on a Saturday or Sunday] may also order, in
93	93	the manner prescribed by that section, extended early voting to be
94	94	conducted [on a Saturday or Sunday] at any one or more of the
95	95	temporary branch polling places. In addition, the early voting
96	96	clerk of a county covered by Section 85.006(e) shall order such
97	97	voting in accordance with that subsection at each temporary branch
98	98	polling place established under Section 85.062(d).
99	99	SECTION 6. Section 85.065(b), Election Code, is amended to
100	100	read as follows:
101	101	(b) Voting at a temporary branch polling place may be
102	102	conducted on any one or more days and during any hours of the period
103	103	for early voting by personal appearance, as determined by the
104	104	authority establishing the branch. The authority authorized under
105	105	Section 85.006 to order extended early voting [on a Saturday or
106	106	Sunday] may also order, in the manner prescribed by that section,
107	107	extended early voting to be conducted [on a Saturday or Sunday] at
108	108	any one or more of the temporary branch polling places.
109	109	SECTION 7. Section 85.068(a), Election Code, is amended to
110	110	read as follows:
111	111	(a) The early voting clerk shall post notice for each
112	112	election stating any dates and the hours that extended voting [on
113	113	Saturday or Sunday] will be conducted under Section 85.064(d) or
114	114	85.065(b), if the early voting clerk is a county clerk or city
115	115	secretary under Section 83.002 or 83.005.
116	116	SECTION 8. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.