87R10987 SLB-F
By: Bettencourt S.B. No. 1663
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the administration of the countywide polling place
program.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 43.007, Election Code, is amended by
amending Subsection (m) and adding Subsection (m-1) to read as
follows:
(m) In adopting a methodology under Subsection (f), the
county must ensure that:
(1) in a county with a population of less than one
million:
(A) each county commissioners precinct contains
at least one countywide polling place; and
(B) the deviation in the percentage of the total
number of countywide polling places located in a commissioners
precinct does not vary by more than one percentage point in a
precinct; and
(2) in a county with a population of one million or
more, the number of polling places located in each state
representative district included in the territory of the county is
calculated by dividing the number of voters residing in that
district by the total number of voters residing in the county and
using the number generated as a percentage to allocate the same
percentage of polling place locations, rounding up to the nearest
whole number, if necessary [the total number of permanent branch
and temporary branch polling places open for voting in a county
commissioners precinct does not exceed more than twice the number
of permanent branch and temporary branch polling places in another
county commissioners precinct].
(m-1) Election officials and voting equipment, materials,
and supplies must be allocated to each polling place based on the
same percentage as polling place locations are determined under
Subsection (m) with no greater than a five percent deviation in the
allocation between polling place locations. Each polling place
location must be able to accommodate 100 percent of the equipment
allocated to be operational at the same time.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.