Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4068 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R8245 PRL-F
2	2	By: Leo Wilson H.B. No. 4068
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to requiring a person to submit proof of citizenship to
10	10	register to vote.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 13.002, Election Code, is amended by
13	13	amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (a-1) to read as
14	14	follows:
15	15	(a) A person desiring to register to vote must submit an
16	16	application and proof of citizenship as required under Subsection
17	17	(a-1) to the registrar of the county in which the person resides.
18	18	Except as provided by Subsection (e), an application must be
19	19	submitted by personal delivery, by mail, or by telephonic facsimile
20	20	machine in accordance with Sections 13.143(d) and (d-2).
21	21	(a-1) A person desiring to register to vote shall submit to
22	22	the registrar a copy of one of the following documents:
23	23	(1) a United States passport or passport card issued
24	24	to the person;
25	25	(2) a certified copy of a birth certificate issued by a
26	26	United States state or territory, or the District of Columbia;
27	27	(3) United States citizenship papers issued to the
28	28	person;
29	29	(4) identification issued by the agency of the United
30	30	States responsible for citizenship and immigration; or
31	31	(5) the applicant's Texas driver's license or personal
32	32	identification card that is compliant with the federal REAL ID
33	33	program, not including a driver's license subject to Section
34	34	521.271(a-2), (a-3), or (a-4) or Section 521.2711(c),
35	35	Transportation Code.
36	36	SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 13, Election Code, is
37	37	amended by adding Sections 13.0721 and 13.0722 to read as follows:
38	38	Sec. 13.0721. LIMITATION ON VOTER QUALIFICATION. (a) An
39	39	individual who fails to submit proof of citizenship under Section
40	40	13.002(a-1) to the registrar is only qualified to vote a federal
41	41	ballot under Chapter 115.
42	42	(b) The registrar shall enter the notation "F", or a similar
43	43	notation approved by the secretary of state, on the list of
44	44	registered voters beside each voter's name who is only qualified to
45	45	vote a federal ballot under Chapter 115. The registrar shall delete
46	46	the notation from the list if the voter provides proof of
47	47	citizenship in accordance with Section 13.002(a-1).
48	48	Sec. 13.0722. NOTICE OF PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP REQUIRED FOR
49	49	EXISTING REGISTRANTS. Not later than December 1, 2025, the
50	50	secretary of state shall provide notice to each registered voter
51	51	who registered to vote before September 1, 2025, and who has not
52	52	provided proof of citizenship under Section 13.002(a-1). The
53	53	notice shall include a statement:
54	54	(1) that the registrar was unable to verify the voter's
55	55	citizenship status;
56	56	(2) that the voter will be qualified to vote only a
57	57	federal ballot under Chapter 115 unless the voter provides a proof
58	58	of citizenship document required under Section 13.002(a-1); and
59	59	(3) of the procedures for submitting proof of
60	60	citizenship to the registrar in order to be qualified to vote a full
61	61	ballot.
62	62	SECTION 3. Section 13.121(a), Election Code, is amended to
63	63	read as follows:
64	64	(a) The officially prescribed application form for
65	65	registration by mail must be in the form of [a] business reply mail
66	66	[postcard], unless another form or system is used under Subsection
67	67	(b), with postage paid by the state. The secretary of state shall
68	68	design the form to enhance the legibility of its contents.
69	69	SECTION 4. Section 13.122(a), Election Code, is amended to
70	70	read as follows:
71	71	(a) In addition to the other statements and spaces for
72	72	entering information that appear on an officially prescribed
73	73	registration application form, each official form must include:
74	74	(1) the statement: "I understand that giving false
75	75	information to procure a voter registration is perjury and a crime
76	76	under state and federal law.";
77	77	(2) a space for the applicant's registration number;
78	78	(3) a space for the applicant's Texas driver's license
79	79	number or number of a personal identification card issued by the
80	80	Department of Public Safety;
81	81	(4) a space for the applicant's telephone number;
82	82	(5) a space for the applicant's social security
83	83	number;
84	84	(6) a space for the applicant's sex;
85	85	(7) a statement indicating that the furnishing of the
86	86	applicant's telephone number and sex is optional;
87	87	(8) a space or box for indicating whether the
88	88	applicant or voter is submitting new registration information or a
89	89	change in current registration information;
90	90	(9) a statement instructing a voter who is using the
91	91	form to make a change in current registration information to enter
92	92	the voter's name and the changed information in the appropriate
93	93	spaces on the form;
94	94	(10) a statement that if the applicant declines to
95	95	register to vote, that fact will remain confidential and will be
96	96	used only for voter registration purposes;
97	97	(11) a statement that if the applicant does register
98	98	to vote, information regarding the agency or office to which the
99	99	application is submitted will remain confidential and will be used
100	100	only for voter registration purposes;
101	101	(12) a space or box for indicating whether the
102	102	applicant is interested in working as an election judge;
103	103	(13) a statement warning that a conviction for making
104	104	a false statement may result in imprisonment for up to the maximum
105	105	amount of time provided by law, a fine of up to the maximum amount
106	106	provided by law, or both the imprisonment and the fine;
107	107	(14) a statement that the applicant shall submit to
108	108	the registrar a copy of one of the following documents:
109	109	(A) a United States passport or passport card
110	110	issued to the person;
111	111	(B) a certified copy of a birth certificate
112	112	issued by a United States state or territory, or the District of
113	113	Columbia;
114	114	(C) United States citizenship papers issued to
115	115	the person;
116	116	(D) identification issued by the agency of the
117	117	United States responsible for citizenship and immigration; or
118	118	(E) the applicant's Texas driver's license or
119	119	personal identification card that is compliant with the federal
120	120	REAL ID program, not including a driver's license subject to
121	121	Section 1521.271(a-2), (a-3), or (a-4) or Section 521.2711(c),
122	122	Transportation Code; and
123	123	(15) [(14)] any other voter registration information
124	124	required by federal law or considered appropriate and required by
125	125	the secretary of state.
126	126	SECTION 5. Section 15.021, Election Code, is amended by
127	127	adding Subsection (f) to read as follows:
128	128	(f) A voter who has previously provided proof of citizenship
129	129	as required by Section 13.002(a-1) is not required to provide proof
130	130	of citizenship when submitting an update, change, or correction to
131	131	the voter's registration information.
132	132	SECTION 6. Chapter 63, Election Code, is amended by adding
133	133	Section 63.007 to read as follows:
134	134	Sec. 63.007. FEDERAL BALLOT VOTER. A voter whose name is on
135	135	the precinct list of registered voters with an "F" beside the
136	136	voter's name shall only be accepted for voting a federal ballot
137	137	under Chapter 115.
138	138	SECTION 7. Section 111.001, Election Code, is amended to
139	139	read as follows:
140	140	Sec. 111.001. RESTRICTED BALLOT. In this subtitle,
141	141	"restricted ballot" means a ballot that is restricted to the
142	142	offices and propositions stating measures on which a person is
143	143	entitled to vote under Chapter 112, 113, [or] 114, or 115.
144	144	SECTION 8. Subtitle C, Title 7, Election Code, is amended by
145	145	adding Chapter 115 to read as follows:
146	146	CHAPTER 115. VOTING FEDERAL BALLOT
147	147	Sec. 115.001. FEDERAL BALLOT. In this chapter, "federal
148	148	ballot" means a ballot voted under this chapter that is restricted
149	149	to the offices of president and vice-president of the United
150	150	States, United States senator, and United States representative
151	151	only.
152	152	Sec. 115.002. ELIGIBILITY. A person is eligible to vote a
153	153	federal ballot by personal appearance during the early voting
154	154	period or on election day if:
155	155	(1) the person has registered to vote under Chapter
156	156	13; and
157	157	(2) the person has not provided proof of citizenship
158	158	as required by Section 13.002(a-1).
159	159	Sec. 115.003. PROCEDURE FOR VOTING BY PERSONAL APPEARANCE.
160	160	(a) The presiding judge shall provide a notice prescribed by the
161	161	secretary of state to a voter who votes a federal ballot under this
162	162	chapter. The notice must inform the voter that:
163	163	(1) because the voter registrar was unable to verify
164	164	the voter's citizenship status, the voter is qualified to vote only
165	165	a federal ballot under this chapter;
166	166	(2) the voter may cast a provisional ballot containing
167	167	all races the voter would otherwise be entitled to vote for if the
168	168	voter had provided proof of citizenship;
169	169	(3) the voter must provide proof of citizenship to the
170	170	voter registrar not later than the sixth day after election day in
171	171	order for a voter's provisional ballot to be counted as a full
172	172	ballot; and
173	173	(4) if the voter does not provide proof of citizenship
174	174	to the voter registrar by the sixth day after election day, then
175	175	only the races for the offices of president and vice-president of
176	176	the United States, United States senator, and United States
177	177	representative on the voter's ballot will be counted.
178	178	(b) A provisional ballot voted under this chapter shall be
179	179	reviewed by the early voting ballot board in the same manner as a
180	180	provisional ballot under Subchapter B, Chapter 65. The secretary
181	181	of state may adopt rules and procedures for the purposes of this
182	182	section.
183	183	SECTION 9. As soon as practicable after the effective date
184	184	of this Act, the secretary of state shall adopt rules necessary to
185	185	implement the changes in law made by this Act.
186	186	SECTION 10. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.