BILL ANALYSIS H.B. 392 By: Flores Elections Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current state law requires a voter registrar to provide the reason for the rejection of a voter registration application in writing or, if the application is rejected in the applicant's presence, verbally. However, the law does not provide a standard for the level of specificity of the notice. The author has informed the committee that the lack of such a standard has resulted in many applicants being provided vague, nonspecific information by some voter registrars, making it difficult for the applicants to know where precisely on the application the error, omission, or disqualifying statement occurred. The author has also informed the committee that these vague notices have caused some rejected applicants to mistakenly believe that they are ineligible to register to vote. H.B. 392 seeks to address these issues by setting out specific content requirements for a notice of the reason for rejection of a voter registration application. CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS H.B. 392 amends the Election Code to require the voter registrar, in providing a written or oral notice of the reason for rejection of a voter registration application, to identify which section or sections of the voter registration application resulted in the rejection. For each section identified, the registrar must specify if the section was incomplete, was improperly filled out, or contained information identifying the applicant as ineligible to vote. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2025.
BILL ANALYSIS
# BILL ANALYSIS
H.B. 392
By: Flores
Elections
Committee Report (Unamended)
H.B. 392
By: Flores
Elections
Committee Report (Unamended)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current state law requires a voter registrar to provide the reason for the rejection of a voter registration application in writing or, if the application is rejected in the applicant's presence, verbally. However, the law does not provide a standard for the level of specificity of the notice. The author has informed the committee that the lack of such a standard has resulted in many applicants being provided vague, nonspecific information by some voter registrars, making it difficult for the applicants to know where precisely on the application the error, omission, or disqualifying statement occurred. The author has also informed the committee that these vague notices have caused some rejected applicants to mistakenly believe that they are ineligible to register to vote. H.B. 392 seeks to address these issues by setting out specific content requirements for a notice of the reason for rejection of a voter registration application.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS H.B. 392 amends the Election Code to require the voter registrar, in providing a written or oral notice of the reason for rejection of a voter registration application, to identify which section or sections of the voter registration application resulted in the rejection. For each section identified, the registrar must specify if the section was incomplete, was improperly filled out, or contained information identifying the applicant as ineligible to vote.
EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2025.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Current state law requires a voter registrar to provide the reason for the rejection of a voter registration application in writing or, if the application is rejected in the applicant's presence, verbally. However, the law does not provide a standard for the level of specificity of the notice. The author has informed the committee that the lack of such a standard has resulted in many applicants being provided vague, nonspecific information by some voter registrars, making it difficult for the applicants to know where precisely on the application the error, omission, or disqualifying statement occurred. The author has also informed the committee that these vague notices have caused some rejected applicants to mistakenly believe that they are ineligible to register to vote. H.B. 392 seeks to address these issues by setting out specific content requirements for a notice of the reason for rejection of a voter registration application.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
H.B. 392 amends the Election Code to require the voter registrar, in providing a written or oral notice of the reason for rejection of a voter registration application, to identify which section or sections of the voter registration application resulted in the rejection. For each section identified, the registrar must specify if the section was incomplete, was improperly filled out, or contained information identifying the applicant as ineligible to vote.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2025.