| 1 | 1 | | 88R6300 SGM-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Bettencourt S.B. No. 1951 |
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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 the procedure for duplicating ballots for automatic |
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| 8 | 8 | | counting. |
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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 127.126, Election Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (a-1) and (g) to |
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| 12 | 12 | | read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (a) The manager of a central counting station may have |
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| 14 | 14 | | ballots duplicated for automatic counting as provided by this |
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| 15 | 15 | | section. The manager shall designate teams of two election |
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| 16 | 16 | | officers to prepare the duplicate ballots. Each officer must be |
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| 17 | 17 | | aligned or affiliated with a different political party unless there |
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| 18 | 18 | | are not two or more election officers serving the central counting |
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| 19 | 19 | | station who are aligned with different parties. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (a-1) The election officers designated under Subsection (a) |
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| 21 | 21 | | shall prepare a duplicate ballot by having one officer announce the |
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| 22 | 22 | | name of the candidate and the other officer mark the ballot with the |
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| 23 | 23 | | name of that candidate. Each duplicate ballot must be |
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| 24 | 24 | | independently reviewed by a second team of two election officers, |
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| 25 | 25 | | each of whom is aligned or affiliated with a different political |
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| 26 | 26 | | party as described by Subsection (a). |
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| 27 | 27 | | (g) The manager of a central counting station shall post the |
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| 28 | 28 | | time that ballots will be duplicated to ensure that poll watchers |
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| 29 | 29 | | are able to observe the activity under this section. |
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| 30 | 30 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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