| 1 | 1 | | 87R5032 SGM-F |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | By: Beckley H.B. No. 1901 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | relating to renewing the application to receive ballots to be voted |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | by mail for certain elections held during a calendar year. |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 86.0015, Election Code, is amended by |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | adding Subsections (g) and (h) to read as follows: |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | (g) The county clerk shall provide to a voter who has |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | applied for and qualifies to receive ballots to be voted by mail |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | under this section, with the ballot for an election held on the |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | November uniform election date of an even-numbered year, an |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | application for a ballot to be voted by mail and instructions for |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | submitting the application under this subsection. The application: |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | (1) must be preprinted so that the voter is required |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | only to: |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | (A) sign and date the application; and |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | (B) indicate in which political party's primary |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | election the voter seeks to vote or indicate that the voter does not |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | want to receive a primary election ballot; |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | (2) may be returned with the voter's ballot in the |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | carrier envelope; |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | (3) applies to each election that occurs before |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | December 31 of the next even-numbered year following the November |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | election, notwithstanding Subsection (b)(2)(A); |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | (4) must be signed by the applicant, or by a witness as |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | provided by Section 84.003; and |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | (5) must be on a form prescribed by the secretary of |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | state. |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | (h) The secretary of state shall prescribe an application |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | form and instructions under Subsection (g) required for use by each |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | county. |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | SECTION 2. Section 87.043, Election Code, is amended by |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | adding Subsection (e) to read as follows: |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | (e) After the final canvass for an election held on the |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | November uniform election date of an even-numbered year, the early |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | voting ballot board shall determine whether an application provided |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | to the voter under Section 86.0015(g) is stored in an envelope with |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | or otherwise included with a rejected ballot. The early voting |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | ballot board shall deliver to the early voting clerk any early |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | voting applications described by this subsection. |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 3. Section 87.044, Election Code, is amended by |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | adding Subsection (c) to read as follows: |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | (c) The early voting ballot board shall deliver to the early |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | voting clerk any early voting applications included as provided by |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | Section 86.0015(g) in a carrier envelope with a ballot voted in an |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | election held on the November uniform election date of an |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | even-numbered year regardless of whether the ballot is accepted. |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
|---|