| 1 | 1 | | 2025S0154-T 02/28/25 |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Smithee H.B. No. 4508 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to the administration of and procedures relating to early |
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| 10 | 10 | | voting by personal appearance. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Section 19.004(a), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 13 | 13 | | read as follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (a) Except as provided by Subsection (d), state funds |
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| 15 | 15 | | disbursed under this chapter may be used only to: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) defray expenses of the registrar's office in |
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| 17 | 17 | | connection with voter registration, including additional expenses |
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| 18 | 18 | | related to: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (A) implementation of the National Voter |
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| 20 | 20 | | Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. Section 20501 et seq.); |
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| 21 | 21 | | (B) complying with weekly updating requirements; |
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| 22 | 22 | | and |
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| 23 | 23 | | (C) the employment of temporary voter |
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| 24 | 24 | | registration personnel for not more than 39 weeks in a state fiscal |
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| 25 | 25 | | year; and |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2) if the registrar's county has a population of less |
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| 27 | 27 | | than 10,000 [55,000], defray the cost to the registrar's county of |
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| 28 | 28 | | keeping the polling places in the county open during the early |
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| 29 | 29 | | voting period as required under Section [Sections 85.005(c),] |
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| 30 | 30 | | 85.006(e)[, and 85.064(d)]. |
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| 31 | 31 | | SECTION 2. Section 85.005(c), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 32 | 32 | | read as follows: |
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| 33 | 33 | | (c) In a county with a population of 10,000 or more, the |
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| 34 | 34 | | voting [Voting] in a primary election or the general election for |
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| 35 | 35 | | state and county officers shall be conducted at the main early |
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| 36 | 36 | | voting polling place for at least 12 consecutive hours on each |
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| 37 | 37 | | weekday of the last week of the early voting period, and the voting |
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| 38 | 38 | | in a special election ordered by the governor shall be conducted at |
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| 39 | 39 | | the main early voting polling place for at least 12 consecutive |
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| 40 | 40 | | hours on each of the last two days of the early voting period. |
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| 41 | 41 | | Voting under this subsection may not be conducted earlier than 6 |
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| 42 | 42 | | a.m. or later than 10 p.m. |
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| 43 | 43 | | SECTION 3. Section 85.006(e), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 44 | 44 | | read as follows: |
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| 45 | 45 | | (e) In a primary election or the general election for state |
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| 46 | 46 | | and county officers in a county with a population of 10,000 or more, |
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| 47 | 47 | | the early voting clerk shall order voting by personal appearance at |
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| 48 | 48 | | the main early voting polling place to be conducted on the last |
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| 49 | 49 | | Saturday of the early voting period for at least 12 consecutive |
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| 50 | 50 | | hours, except that voting may not be conducted earlier than 6 a.m. |
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| 51 | 51 | | or later than 10 p.m., and on the last Sunday of the early voting |
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| 52 | 52 | | period for at least six consecutive hours, except that voting may |
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| 53 | 53 | | not be conducted earlier than 9 a.m. or later than 10 p.m. The early |
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| 54 | 54 | | voting clerk shall order voting to be conducted at those times in |
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| 55 | 55 | | those elections for those hours on a single weekend day in a county |
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| 56 | 56 | | with a population under 10,000. The day of extended voting hours |
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| 57 | 57 | | must be agreed to by party chairs and posted publicly in compliance |
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| 58 | 58 | | with Section 85.007. This subsection supersedes any provision of |
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| 59 | 59 | | this subchapter to the extent of any conflict. |
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| 60 | 60 | | SECTION 4. Section 85.064, Election Code, is amended by |
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| 61 | 61 | | adding Subsection (e) to read as follows: |
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| 62 | 62 | | (e) Subsection (d) applies only to an election in which the |
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| 63 | 63 | | territory served by the early voting clerk is situated in a county |
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| 64 | 64 | | with a population of 10,000 or more. In an election in which the |
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| 65 | 65 | | territory served by the clerk is situated in more than one county, |
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| 66 | 66 | | this section applies if the sum of the populations of the counties |
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| 67 | 67 | | is 10,000 or more. |
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| 68 | 68 | | SECTION 5. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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| 69 | 69 | | an election for which early voting begins on or after the effective |
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| 70 | 70 | | date of this Act. |
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| 71 | 71 | | SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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