88R19173 MLH-F
By: Shaheen H.B. No. 1003
Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1003:
By: Burrows C.S.H.B. No. 1003
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to ineligibility to serve as a poll watcher.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 33.006(b), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(b) A certificate of appointment must:
(1) be in writing and signed by the appointing
authority or, for an appointment for a write-in candidate under
Section 33.004, by each of the voters making the appointment;
(2) indicate the capacity in which the appointing
authority is acting;
(3) state the name, residence address, and voter
registration number of the appointee and be signed by the
appointee;
(4) identify the election and the precinct polling
place or other location at which the appointee is to serve;
(5) in an election on a measure, identify the measure
if more than one is to be voted on and state which side of the
measure the appointee represents; and
(6) contain an affidavit executed by the appointee
stating that the appointee:
(A) will not have possession of a device capable
of recording images or sound or that the appointee will disable or
deactivate the device while serving as a watcher; and
(B) has not been finally convicted of a felony
offense.
SECTION 2. Section 33.035, Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 33.035. INELIGIBILITY OF PERSON CONVICTED OF CERTAIN
OFFENSES [ELECTION OFFENSE]. A person is ineligible to serve as a
watcher in an election if the person has been finally convicted of:
(1) a felony offense; or
(2) a misdemeanor [an] offense in connection with
conduct directly attributable to an election.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.