| 1 | 1 | | 87R8447 BRG-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Patterson H.B. No. 2293 |
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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 the hours for voting during the early voting period. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Sections 85.005(a) and (b), Election Code, are |
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| 10 | 10 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | (a) Except as provided by Subsection (c), in an election in |
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| 12 | 12 | | which a county clerk or city secretary is the early voting clerk |
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| 13 | 13 | | under Section 83.002 or 83.005, early voting by personal appearance |
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| 14 | 14 | | at the main early voting polling place shall be conducted on the |
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| 15 | 15 | | weekdays of the early voting period and during the hours that the |
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| 16 | 16 | | county clerk's or city secretary's main business office is |
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| 17 | 17 | | regularly open for business, except that voting may not be |
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| 18 | 18 | | conducted earlier than 6 a.m. or later than 9 p.m.[.] |
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| 19 | 19 | | (b) In an election to which Subsection (a) does not apply, |
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| 20 | 20 | | early voting by personal appearance at the main early voting |
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| 21 | 21 | | polling place shall be conducted at least eight hours each weekday |
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| 22 | 22 | | of the early voting period that is not a legal state holiday unless |
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| 23 | 23 | | the territory covered by the election has fewer than 1,000 |
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| 24 | 24 | | registered voters. In that case, the voting shall be conducted at |
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| 25 | 25 | | least three hours each day. The authority ordering the election, or |
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| 26 | 26 | | the county clerk if that person is the early voting clerk, shall |
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| 27 | 27 | | determine which hours the voting is to be conducted except that |
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| 28 | 28 | | voting may not be conducted earlier than 6 a.m. or later than 9 |
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| 29 | 29 | | p.m.[.] |
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| 30 | 30 | | SECTION 2. Section 85.006(c), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 31 | 31 | | read as follows: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (c) The authority ordering voting on a Saturday or Sunday |
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| 33 | 33 | | shall determine the hours during which voting is to be conducted |
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| 34 | 34 | | except that voting may not be conducted earlier than 6 a.m. or later |
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| 35 | 35 | | than 9 p.m.[.] |
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| 36 | 36 | | SECTION 3. Section 85.010(c), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 37 | 37 | | read as follows: |
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| 38 | 38 | | (c) A shared polling place established under Subsection (b) |
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| 39 | 39 | | that is designated as a main early voting polling place by any |
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| 40 | 40 | | political subdivision: |
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| 41 | 41 | | (1) must be open for voting for all political |
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| 42 | 42 | | subdivisions the polling place serves for at least the days and |
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| 43 | 43 | | hours required of a main early voting polling place under Section |
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| 44 | 44 | | 85.002 for the political subdivision making the designation; and |
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| 45 | 45 | | (2) may not be open for voting earlier than 6 a.m. or |
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| 46 | 46 | | later than 9 p.m.[.] |
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| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 4. Section 85.064, Election Code, is amended by |
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| 48 | 48 | | adding Subsection (c) to read as follows: |
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| 49 | 49 | | (c) Early voting by personal appearance at a temporary |
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| 50 | 50 | | branch polling place may not be conducted earlier than 6 a.m. or |
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| 51 | 51 | | later than 9 p.m. |
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| 52 | 52 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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