| 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 hours of service by an election watcher. |
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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. Section 33.052, Election Code, is amended to |
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| 10 | 10 | | read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 33.052. HOURS OF SERVICE AT PRECINCT POLLING PLACE. |
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| 12 | 12 | | [(a)] A watcher at a precinct polling place may begin service at any |
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| 13 | 13 | | time after the presiding judge arrives at the polling place on |
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| 14 | 14 | | election day and may remain at the polling place until the presiding |
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| 15 | 15 | | judge and the clerks complete their duties there. A watcher [that |
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| 16 | 16 | | serves for more than five continuous hours] may serve at the polling |
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| 17 | 17 | | place during the hours the watcher chooses, except that if the |
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| 18 | 18 | | watcher is present at the polling place when ballots are counted, |
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| 19 | 19 | | the watcher may not leave until the counting is complete. |
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| 20 | 20 | | [(b) For purposes of this section, a watcher is considered |
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| 21 | 21 | | to have served continuously if the watcher leaves the polling place |
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| 22 | 22 | | for the purpose of using a wireless communication device prohibited |
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| 23 | 23 | | from use in the polling place under Section 61.014 and the watcher |
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| 24 | 24 | | promptly returns.] |
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| 25 | 25 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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