| 1 | 1 | | 88R12224 MLH-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Bettencourt S.B. No. 1946 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to personal information entered on the carrier envelope of |
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| 8 | 8 | | a ballot to be voted by mail. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 86.002, Election Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | adding Subsection (d-1) and amending Subsection (g) to read as |
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| 12 | 12 | | follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (d-1) The secretary of state shall prescribe instructions |
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| 14 | 14 | | to be printed on the balloting materials for marking the ballot |
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| 15 | 15 | | envelope with the information required under Subsection (g). The |
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| 16 | 16 | | instructions must: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) be printed in at least a 10-point font; |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) except as provided by Subdivision (3), not include |
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| 19 | 19 | | the text "V.U.I.D." or the words "voter registration number"; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | (3) contain the statement: "A voter registration |
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| 21 | 21 | | certificate is not the same thing as an election identification |
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| 22 | 22 | | certificate. An election identification certificate is a photo |
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| 23 | 23 | | identification issued by the Department of Public Safety and |
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| 24 | 24 | | contains a unique number that is different from the voter |
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| 25 | 25 | | registration number contained in the voter registration |
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| 26 | 26 | | certificate. A voter registration number (V.U.I.D.) does not |
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| 27 | 27 | | satisfy the requirement to enter the number of an election |
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| 28 | 28 | | identification certificate and should not be printed on the carrier |
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| 29 | 29 | | envelope." |
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| 30 | 30 | | (g) The carrier envelope must include a space, at least one |
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| 31 | 31 | | half inch in height and two inches in width, that is hidden from |
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| 32 | 32 | | view when the envelope is sealed for the voter to enter the |
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| 33 | 33 | | following information: |
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| 34 | 34 | | (1) the number of the voter's driver's license, |
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| 35 | 35 | | election identification certificate, or personal identification |
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| 36 | 36 | | card issued by the Department of Public Safety; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (2) if the voter has not been issued a number described |
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| 38 | 38 | | by Subdivision (1), the last four digits of the voter's social |
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| 39 | 39 | | security number; or |
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| 40 | 40 | | (3) a statement by the applicant that the applicant |
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| 41 | 41 | | has not been issued a number described by Subdivision (1) or (2). |
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| 42 | 42 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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