Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2001 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	88R9240 MLH-F
2	2	By: Vo H.B. No. 2001
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the days and hours during which the polls are open for
8	8	early voting by personal appearance.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 12.004(d), Election Code, is amended to
11	11	read as follows:
12	12	(d) The [If early voting by personal appearance is required
13	13	to be conducted for extended hours under Section 85.005(c) or for
14	14	weekend hours under Section 85.006(e), the] registrar's office
15	15	shall remain open for providing voter registration information
16	16	during the [extended hours or weekend] hours that the main early
17	17	voting polling place is open for voting.
18	18	SECTION 2. Sections 85.001(a) and (e), Election Code, are
19	19	amended to read as follows:
20	20	(a) The period for early voting by personal appearance
21	21	begins on the 17th day before election day and continues through the
22	22	fourth day before election day, except as otherwise provided by
23	23	this subchapter [section].
24	24	(e) For an election held on the uniform election date in May
25	25	and any resulting runoff election, the period for early voting by
26	26	personal appearance begins on the 12th day before election day and
27	27	continues through the fourth day before election day, except as
28	28	otherwise provided by this subchapter.
29	29	SECTION 3. Section 85.006, Election Code, is amended to
30	30	read as follows:
31	31	Sec. 85.006. EXTENDED VOTING [ON SATURDAY OR SUNDAY]. (a)
32	32	Except as provided by Subsection (b), the authority ordering an
33	33	election may order early voting by personal appearance at the main
34	34	early voting polling place to be conducted:
35	35	(1) on one or more Saturdays or Sundays during the
36	36	early voting period; or
37	37	(2) during an extended early voting period beginning
38	38	the 19th day before election day and continuing for any number of
39	39	consecutive days up to and including the third day before election
40	40	day.
41	41	(b) In an election in which a county clerk is the early
42	42	voting clerk under Section 83.002, only the early voting clerk may
43	43	order extended voting [on a Saturday or Sunday]. The clerk must do
44	44	so by written order.
45	45	(c) Except as otherwise provided by this section, the [The]
46	46	authority ordering extended voting [on a Saturday or Sunday] shall
47	47	determine the hours during which voting is to be conducted.
48	48	(d) The authority authorized to order extended early voting
49	49	[on a Saturday or Sunday] under Subsection (a) or (b) shall order
50	50	[the] voting on a Saturday or Sunday under the applicable
51	51	subsection on receipt of a written request submitted by at least 15
52	52	registered voters of the territory covered by the election. The
53	53	request must be submitted in time to enable compliance with Section
54	54	85.007. The authority is not required to order the voting on a
55	55	particular date specified by the request but shall order the voting
56	56	on at least one Saturday if a Saturday is requested and on at least
57	57	one Sunday if a Sunday is requested.
58	58	(e) In a primary election or the general election for state
59	59	and county officers in a county with a population of 55,000 or more,
60	60	the early voting clerk shall order voting by personal appearance at
61	61	the main early voting polling place to be conducted on the last
62	62	Saturday of the early voting period for at least 12 hours, except
63	63	that voting may not be conducted earlier than 6 a.m. or later than
64	64	10 p.m., and on the last Sunday of the early voting period for at
65	65	least six hours, except that voting may not be conducted earlier
66	66	than 9 a.m. or later than 10 p.m. The early voting clerk shall
67	67	order voting to be conducted at those times in those elections in a
68	68	county with a population under 55,000 on receipt of a written
69	69	request for those hours submitted by at least 15 registered voters
70	70	of the county. The request must be submitted in time to enable
71	71	compliance with Section 85.007. This subsection supersedes any
72	72	provision of this subchapter to the extent of any conflict.
73	73	(f) An authority authorized to order extended early voting
74	74	under Subsection (a) or (b) that orders the voting during an
75	75	extended early voting period shall order personal appearance voting
76	76	at the main early voting polling place to be conducted for at least
77	77	12 hours on any weekday or Saturday and for at least five hours on
78	78	any Sunday of the extended early voting period.
79	79	SECTION 4. Sections 85.007(a) and (b), Election Code, are
80	80	amended to read as follows:
81	81	(a) The election order and the election notice must state:
82	82	(1) the date that early voting will begin if under
83	83	Section 85.001(d) the early voting period is to begin later than the
84	84	prescribed date;
85	85	(2) the regular dates and hours that voting will be
86	86	conducted under Section 85.005(b); and
87	87	(3) the dates and hours that extended voting [on
88	88	Saturday or Sunday] is ordered to be conducted under Section
89	89	85.006(a).
90	90	(b) The early voting clerk shall post notice for each
91	91	election stating the dates and hours that extended voting [on a
92	92	Saturday or Sunday] is ordered to be conducted under Section
93	93	85.006(b).
94	94	SECTION 5. Section 85.064(d), Election Code, is amended to
95	95	read as follows:
96	96	(d) The authority authorized under Section 85.006 to order
97	97	extended early voting [on a Saturday or Sunday] may also order, in
98	98	the manner prescribed by that section, extended early voting to be
99	99	conducted [on a Saturday or Sunday] at any one or more of the
100	100	temporary branch polling places. In addition, the early voting
101	101	clerk of a county covered by Section 85.006(e) shall order such
102	102	voting in accordance with that subsection at each temporary branch
103	103	polling place established under Section 85.062(d).
104	104	SECTION 6. Section 85.065(b), Election Code, is amended to
105	105	read as follows:
106	106	(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), voting at a
107	107	temporary branch polling place may be conducted on any days and
108	108	during any hours of the period for early voting by personal
109	109	appearance, as determined by the authority establishing the branch.
110	110	The authority authorized under Section 85.006 to order extended
111	111	early voting [on a Saturday or Sunday] may also order, in the manner
112	112	prescribed by that section, extended early voting to be conducted
113	113	[on a Saturday or Sunday] at any one or more of the temporary branch
114	114	polling places.
115	115	SECTION 7. Section 85.068(a), Election Code, is amended to
116	116	read as follows:
117	117	(a) The early voting clerk shall post notice for each
118	118	election stating any dates and the hours that extended voting [on
119	119	Saturday or Sunday] will be conducted under Section 85.064(d) or
120	120	85.065(b), if the early voting clerk is a county clerk or city
121	121	secretary under Section 83.002 or 83.005.
122	122	SECTION 8. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.