Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1298 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R4344 MLH-F
2	2	By: Vo H.B. No. 1298
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4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the days and hours during which the polls are open for
10	10	early voting by personal appearance.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 12.004(d), Election Code, is amended to
13	13	read as follows:
14	14	(d) The [If early voting by personal appearance is required
15	15	to be conducted for extended hours under Section 85.005(c) or for
16	16	weekend hours under Section 85.006(e), the] registrar's office
17	17	shall remain open for providing voter registration information
18	18	during the [extended hours or weekend] hours that the main early
19	19	voting polling place is open for voting.
20	20	SECTION 2. Sections 85.001(a) and (e), Election Code, are
21	21	amended to read as follows:
22	22	(a) The period for early voting by personal appearance
23	23	begins on the 17th day before election day and continues through the
24	24	fourth day before election day, except as otherwise provided by
25	25	this subchapter [section].
26	26	(e) For an election held on the uniform election date in May
27	27	and any resulting runoff election, the period for early voting by
28	28	personal appearance begins on the 12th day before election day and
29	29	continues through the fourth day before election day, except as
30	30	otherwise provided by this subchapter.
31	31	SECTION 3. Section 85.006, Election Code, is amended to
32	32	read as follows:
33	33	Sec. 85.006. EXTENDED VOTING [ON SATURDAY OR SUNDAY]. (a)
34	34	Except as provided by Subsection (b), the authority ordering an
35	35	election may order early voting by personal appearance at the main
36	36	early voting polling place to be conducted:
37	37	(1) on one or more Saturdays or Sundays during the
38	38	early voting period; or
39	39	(2) during an extended early voting period beginning
40	40	the 19th day before election day and continuing for any number of
41	41	consecutive days up to and including the third day before election
42	42	day.
43	43	(b) In an election in which a county clerk is the early
44	44	voting clerk under Section 83.002, only the early voting clerk may
45	45	order extended voting [on a Saturday or Sunday]. The clerk must do
46	46	so by written order.
47	47	(c) Except as otherwise provided by this section, the [The]
48	48	authority ordering extended voting [on a Saturday or Sunday] shall
49	49	determine the hours during which voting is to be conducted.
50	50	(d) The authority authorized to order extended early voting
51	51	[on a Saturday or Sunday] under Subsection (a) or (b) shall order
52	52	[the] voting on a Saturday or Sunday under the applicable
53	53	subsection on receipt of a written request submitted by at least 15
54	54	registered voters of the territory covered by the election. The
55	55	request must be submitted in time to enable compliance with Section
56	56	85.007. The authority is not required to order the voting on a
57	57	particular date specified by the request but shall order the voting
58	58	on at least one Saturday if a Saturday is requested and on at least
59	59	one Sunday if a Sunday is requested.
60	60	(e) In a primary election or the general election for state
61	61	and county officers, the early voting clerk shall order voting by
62	62	personal appearance at the main early voting polling place to be
63	63	conducted on the last Saturday of the early voting period for at
64	64	least 12 consecutive hours, except that voting may not be conducted
65	65	earlier than 6 a.m. or later than 10 p.m., and on the last Sunday of
66	66	the early voting period for at least six consecutive hours, except
67	67	that voting may not be conducted earlier than 9 a.m. or later than
68	68	10 p.m. This subsection supersedes any provision of this
69	69	subchapter to the extent of any conflict.
70	70	(f) An authority authorized to order extended early voting
71	71	under Subsection (a) or (b) that orders the voting during an
72	72	extended early voting period shall order personal appearance voting
73	73	at the main early voting polling place to be conducted for at least
74	74	12 hours on any weekday or Saturday and for at least five hours on
75	75	any Sunday of the extended early voting period.
76	76	SECTION 4. Sections 85.007(a) and (b), Election Code, are
77	77	amended to read as follows:
78	78	(a) The election order and the election notice must state:
79	79	(1) the date that early voting will begin if under
80	80	Section 85.001(d) the early voting period is to begin later than the
81	81	prescribed date;
82	82	(2) the regular dates and hours that voting will be
83	83	conducted under Section 85.005(b); and
84	84	(3) the dates and hours that extended voting [on
85	85	Saturday or Sunday] is ordered to be conducted under Section
86	86	85.006(a).
87	87	(b) The early voting clerk shall post notice for each
88	88	election stating the dates and hours that extended voting [on a
89	89	Saturday or Sunday] is ordered to be conducted under Section
90	90	85.006(b).
91	91	SECTION 5. Section 85.064(d), Election Code, is amended to
92	92	read as follows:
93	93	(d) The authority authorized under Section 85.006 to order
94	94	extended early voting [on a Saturday or Sunday] may also order, in
95	95	the manner prescribed by that section, extended early voting to be
96	96	conducted [on a Saturday or Sunday] at any one or more of the
97	97	temporary branch polling places. In addition, the early voting
98	98	clerk shall order such voting in accordance with Section 85.006(e)
99	99	at each temporary branch polling place established under Section
100	100	85.062(d).
101	101	SECTION 6. Section 85.068(a), Election Code, is amended to
102	102	read as follows:
103	103	(a) The early voting clerk shall post notice for each
104	104	election stating any dates and the hours that extended voting [on
105	105	Saturday or Sunday] will be conducted under Section 85.064(d), if
106	106	the early voting clerk is a county clerk or city secretary under
107	107	Section 83.002 or 83.005.
108	108	SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.