Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1451 Compare Versions

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Version 2 (New)

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1	1	88R2962 LRM-D
2	2	By: Anchía H.B. No. 1451
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to electronic voter registration.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 13, Election Code, is
10	10	amended by adding Section 13.009 to read as follows:
11	11	Sec. 13.009. ELECTRONIC VOTER REGISTRATION. (a) The
12	12	secretary of state shall implement a program to allow a person to
13	13	complete a voter registration application over the Internet from
14	14	the official state Internet website. The secretary of state and the
15	15	Department of Public Safety Internet websites must provide a link
16	16	to the application on the official state Internet website.
17	17	(b) An applicant for electronic voter registration who has a
18	18	state-issued driver's license or personal identification card,
19	19	regardless of whether the license or card is unexpired, must:
20	20	(1) attest to the truth of the information on the
21	21	application by affirmatively accepting the information as true; and
22	22	(2) affirmatively consent to the use of the signature
23	23	on the applicant's driver's license or personal identification card
24	24	for voter registration purposes.
25	25	(c) An applicant for electronic voter registration who does
26	26	not have a state-issued driver's license or personal identification
27	27	card must:
28	28	(1) attest to the truth of the information provided on
29	29	the application by affirmatively accepting the information as true;
30	30	and
31	31	(2) print a registration application from the Internet
32	32	website the applicant is using to register, sign the application,
33	33	and mail it to the registrar.
34	34	(d) For each application submitted under Subsection (b),
35	35	the program must require that a digital copy of the applicant's
36	36	signature be obtained from the Department of Public Safety.
37	37	(e) For each application submitted under Subsection (c),
38	38	the program must provide the applicant with:
39	39	(1) a registration application that the applicant can
40	40	print from the registration website, sign, and mail to the
41	41	registrar as required under Subsection (c)(2); and
42	42	(2) information about how the applicant can obtain a
43	43	driver's license or personal identification card from the
44	44	Department of Public Safety.
45	45	(f) An application submitted under this section is
46	46	considered for all purposes an application submitted by mail under
47	47	this title.
48	48	(g) The secretary of state shall adopt rules as necessary to
49	49	implement this section, including rules to provide for security
50	50	measures to ensure the accuracy and integrity of applications
51	51	submitted electronically.
52	52	(h) The rules adopted under Subsection (g) must require
53	53	that:
54	54	(1) the Internet website through which a person may
55	55	complete a voter registration application include a description of
56	56	the offense described by Section 13.007 in a conspicuous location
57	57	on the website near the place where the person begins or submits the
58	58	application; and
59	59	(2) the state electronic Internet portal project is
60	60	used to authenticate the identity of a person who submits an
61	61	application electronically under this section.
62	62	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.