| 1 | 1 | | H.B. No. 5180 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | AN ACT |
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| 5 | 5 | | relating to the public inspection of election records. |
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| 6 | 6 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 7 | 7 | | SECTION 1. Section 1.012, Election Code, is amended by |
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| 8 | 8 | | amending Subsection (e) and adding Subsections (f), (g), and (h) to |
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| 9 | 9 | | read as follows: |
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| 10 | 10 | | (e) Except as provided by Subsections (f) and (g), an [An] |
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| 11 | 11 | | election record shall be available not later than the 15th day after |
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| 12 | 12 | | election day in an electronic format for a fee of not more than $50. |
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| 13 | 13 | | (f) Beginning on the first day after the date the final |
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| 14 | 14 | | canvass of an election is completed, the general custodian of |
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| 15 | 15 | | election records shall make available for public inspection |
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| 16 | 16 | | election records that are: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) images of voted ballots, if a county maintains |
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| 18 | 18 | | images of voted ballots; or |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) cast vote records. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (g) Beginning on the 61st day after election day, the |
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| 21 | 21 | | general custodian of election records shall make available for |
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| 22 | 22 | | public inspection election records that are original voted ballots. |
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| 23 | 23 | | (h) The custodian shall adopt procedures to ensure the |
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| 24 | 24 | | redaction of any personally identifiable information of the voter |
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| 25 | 25 | | contained on a ballot before making the voted ballot available for |
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| 26 | 26 | | public inspection. |
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| 27 | 27 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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| 28 | 28 | | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 29 | 29 | | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 30 | 30 | | I certify that H.B. No. 5180 was passed by the House on May 6, |
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| 31 | 31 | | 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 133, Nays 1, 2 present, not |
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| 32 | 32 | | voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B. |
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| 33 | 33 | | No. 5180 on May 26, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 138, Nays 1, |
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| 34 | 34 | | 2 present, not voting. |
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| 35 | 35 | | ______________________________ |
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| 36 | 36 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 37 | 37 | | I certify that H.B. No. 5180 was passed by the Senate, with |
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| 38 | 38 | | amendments, on May 24, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 19, Nays |
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| 39 | 39 | | 11. |
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| 40 | 40 | | ______________________________ |
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| 41 | 41 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 42 | 42 | | APPROVED: __________________ |
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| 43 | 43 | | Date |
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| 44 | 44 | | __________________ |
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| 45 | 45 | | Governor |
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