| 1 | 1 | | By: Hall S.B. No. 19 |
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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 a study on the effect of a change to the period for |
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| 7 | 7 | | voting. |
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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. (a) The secretary of state shall conduct a |
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| 10 | 10 | | study regarding the practical effects of eliminating the gap |
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| 11 | 11 | | between the early voting period for an election and election day and |
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| 12 | 12 | | providing for the conduct of elections with a single election |
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| 13 | 13 | | period. |
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| 14 | 14 | | (b) The study must include: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) best practices and policies of states that conduct |
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| 16 | 16 | | elections with a single election period; |
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| 17 | 17 | | (2) a cost-benefit analysis comparing the use of hand |
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| 18 | 18 | | marked paper ballots, ballot marking devices, and direct recording |
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| 19 | 19 | | electronic voting machines in elections with a single election |
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| 20 | 20 | | period; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (3) comparison of the estimated costs of conducting |
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| 22 | 22 | | elections with a single election period versus the costs of |
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| 23 | 23 | | conducting elections with a gap between the early voting period for |
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| 24 | 24 | | the election and election day; and |
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| 25 | 25 | | (4) recommended statutory language for implementing |
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| 26 | 26 | | the conduct of elections with a single election period. |
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| 27 | 27 | | (c) The secretary of state shall, not later than January |
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| 28 | 28 | | 1,2022, submit a report on the secretary's findings to the |
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| 29 | 29 | | legislature. |
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| 30 | 30 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 31 | 31 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 32 | 32 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 33 | 33 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 34 | 34 | | Act takes effect on the 91st day after the last day of the |
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| 35 | 35 | | legislative session. |
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