| 1 | 1 | | By: Crockett H.B. No. 201 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to temporary branch polling places. |
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| 7 | 7 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 8 | 8 | | SECTION 1. Section 85.062(e), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 9 | 9 | | read as follows: |
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| 10 | 10 | | (e) In an election covered by Subsection (d), a temporary |
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| 11 | 11 | | branch polling place that is [located in a] movable [structure] may |
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| 12 | 12 | | be established only with the approval of the county clerk. If a |
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| 13 | 13 | | movable temporary branch polling place is established [in a movable |
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| 14 | 14 | | structure] on the request of a political party, each other |
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| 15 | 15 | | political party whose nominee for governor in the most recent |
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| 16 | 16 | | gubernatorial general election received more than 10 percent of the |
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| 17 | 17 | | total number of votes received by all candidates for governor in the |
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| 18 | 18 | | election is entitled to establishment of such a polling place. The |
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| 19 | 19 | | election officers serving a polling place covered by this |
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| 20 | 20 | | subsection must be affiliated or aligned with different political |
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| 21 | 21 | | parties to the extent possible. The secretary of state, after |
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| 22 | 22 | | consulting the state chair of each affected political party, shall |
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| 23 | 23 | | prescribe the procedures necessary to implement this subsection. |
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| 24 | 24 | | SECTION 2. Section 85.064, Election Code, is amended by |
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| 25 | 25 | | amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c) to read as |
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| 26 | 26 | | follows: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (b) Early voting by personal appearance at each temporary |
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| 28 | 28 | | branch polling place established under Section 85.062(d) shall be |
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| 29 | 29 | | conducted on the days that voting is required to be conducted at the |
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| 30 | 30 | | main early voting polling place under Section 85.005 and remain |
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| 31 | 31 | | open for at least: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (1) eight hours each day; or |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2) three hours each day if the city or county clerk |
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| 34 | 34 | | does not serve as the early voting clerk for the territory holding |
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| 35 | 35 | | the election and the territory has fewer than 1,000 registered |
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| 36 | 36 | | voters. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (c) Early voting by personal appearance at a temporary |
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| 38 | 38 | | branch polling place other than a temporary branch polling place |
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| 39 | 39 | | established under Section 85.062(d) may be conducted on any one or |
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| 40 | 40 | | more days and during any hours of the period for early voting by |
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| 41 | 41 | | personal appearance, as determined by the authority establishing |
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| 42 | 42 | | the branch. |
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| 43 | 43 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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