Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4964 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R14382 AB-D
2	2	By: Schatzline H.B. No. 4964
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to eligibility requirements for early voting by mail.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Section 13.002(e), Election Code, is amended to
12	12	read as follows:
13	13	(e) A person who is certified for participation in the
14	14	address confidentiality program administered by the attorney
15	15	general under Subchapter B, Chapter 58, Code of Criminal Procedure,
16	16	is not eligible for early voting by mail [under Section 82.007]
17	17	unless the person submits an application under this section by
18	18	personal delivery. The secretary of state may adopt rules to
19	19	implement this subsection.
20	20	SECTION 2. Section 84.002(a), Election Code, is amended to
21	21	read as follows:
22	22	(a) An early voting ballot application must include:
23	23	(1) the applicant's name and the address at which the
24	24	applicant is registered to vote;
25	25	(1-a) the following information:
26	26	(A) the number of the applicant's driver's
27	27	license, election identification certificate, or personal
28	28	identification card issued by the Department of Public Safety;
29	29	(B) if the applicant has not been issued a number
30	30	described by Paragraph (A), the last four digits of the applicant's
31	31	social security number; or
32	32	(C) a statement by the applicant that the
33	33	applicant has not been issued a number described by Paragraph (A) or
34	34	(B);
35	35	(2) [for an application for a ballot to be voted by
36	36	mail on the ground of absence from the county of residence, the
37	37	address outside the applicant's county of residence to which the
38	38	ballot is to be mailed;
39	39	[(3)] for an application for a ballot to be voted by
40	40	mail on the ground of age [or disability], the address of the
41	41	hospital, nursing home or other long-term care facility, or
42	42	retirement center, or of a person related to the applicant within
43	43	the second degree by affinity or the third degree by consanguinity,
44	44	as determined under Chapter 573, Government Code, if the applicant
45	45	is living at that address and that address is different from the
46	46	address at which the applicant is registered to vote;
47	47	[(4) for an application for a ballot to be voted by
48	48	mail on the ground of confinement in jail, the address of the jail
49	49	or of a person related to the applicant within the degree described
50	50	by Subdivision (3);]
51	51	(3) [(5) for an application for a ballot to be voted by
52	52	mail on any ground,] an indication of each election for which the
53	53	applicant is applying for a ballot; and
54	54	(4) [(6)] an indication of the ground of eligibility
55	55	for early voting[; and
56	56	[(7) for an application for a ballot to be voted by
57	57	mail on the ground of involuntary civil commitment, the address of
58	58	the facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Civil
59	59	Commitment Office or of a person related to the applicant within the
60	60	degree of consanguinity described by Subdivision (3)].
61	61	SECTION 3. Section 84.0021(a), Election Code, is amended to
62	62	read as follows:
63	63	(a) An early voting ballot application submitted by a
64	64	qualified voter certified for participation in the address
65	65	confidentiality program administered by the attorney general under
66	66	Subchapter B, Chapter 58, Code of Criminal Procedure, who is
67	67	eligible for early voting by mail [under Section 82.007] must
68	68	include:
69	69	(1) the applicant's name and address at which the
70	70	applicant is registered to vote;
71	71	(2) the substitute post office box address designated
72	72	by the attorney general under Article 58.052(b), Code of Criminal
73	73	Procedure, for use by the voter in place of the voter's true
74	74	residential, business, or school address; and
75	75	(3) an indication of each election for which the
76	76	applicant is applying for a ballot.
77	77	SECTION 4. Sections 84.011(a) and (c), Election Code, are
78	78	amended to read as follows:
79	79	(a) The officially prescribed application form for an early
80	80	voting ballot must include:
81	81	(1) immediately preceding the signature space the
82	82	statement: "I certify that the information given in this
83	83	application is true, and I understand that giving false information
84	84	in this application is a crime.";
85	85	(2) a statement informing the applicant of the
86	86	offenses prescribed by Sections 84.003 and 84.004;
87	87	(3) spaces for entering an applicant's voter
88	88	registration number and county election precinct of registration,
89	89	with a statement informing the applicant that failure to furnish
90	90	that information does not invalidate the application;
91	91	(3-a) a space for entering the information required
92	92	under Section 84.002(a)(1-a); and
93	93	(4) on an application for a ballot to be voted by mail:
94	94	(A) [a space for an applicant applying on the
95	95	ground of absence from the county of residence to indicate the date
96	96	on or after which the applicant can receive mail at the address
97	97	outside the county;
98	98	[(B)] a space for indicating the fact that an
99	99	applicant whose application is signed by a witness cannot make the
100	100	applicant's mark and a space for indicating the relationship or
101	101	lack of relationship of the witness to the applicant;
102	102	(B) [(C)] a space for entering an applicant's
103	103	telephone number, with:
104	104	(i) a statement informing the applicant
105	105	that failure to furnish that information does not invalidate the
106	106	application; and
107	107	(ii) a statement prescribed by the
108	108	secretary of state explaining the benefits of furnishing that
109	109	information, including how that information assists the early
110	110	voting clerk;
111	111	(C) [(D)] a space or box for an applicant
112	112	applying on the ground of age [or disability] to indicate that the
113	113	address to which the ballot is to be mailed is the address of a
114	114	facility or relative described by Section 84.002(a)(3), if
115	115	applicable;
116	116	(D) [(E) a space or box for an applicant applying
117	117	on the ground of confinement in jail or involuntary civil
118	118	commitment to indicate that the address to which the ballot is to be
119	119	mailed is the address of a relative described by Section
120	120	84.002(a)(4) or (7), if applicable;
121	121	[(F)] a space for an applicant applying on the
122	122	ground of age [or disability] to indicate if the application is an
123	123	application under Section 86.0015;
124	124	(E) [(G)] spaces for entering the signature,
125	125	printed name, and residence address of any person assisting the
126	126	applicant;
127	127	(F) [(H)] a statement informing the applicant of
128	128	the condition prescribed by Section 81.005; and
129	129	(G) [(I)] a statement informing the applicant of
130	130	the requirement prescribed by Section 86.003(c).
131	131	(c) The secretary of state shall make the statement
132	132	prescribed by Subsection (a)(4)(B)(ii) [(a)(4)(C)(ii)] available
133	133	on the secretary's Internet website.
134	134	SECTION 5. Section 86.003(c), Election Code, is amended to
135	135	read as follows:
136	136	(c) The address to which the balloting materials must be
137	137	addressed is the address at which the voter is registered to vote,
138	138	or the registered mailing address if different, unless the ground
139	139	for voting by mail is[:
140	140	[(1) absence from the county of residence, in which
141	141	case the address must be an address outside the voter's county of
142	142	residence;
143	143	[(2) confinement in jail, in which case the address
144	144	must be the address of the jail or of a relative described by
145	145	Section 84.002(a)(4);
146	146	[(3)] age [or disability] and the voter is living at a
147	147	hospital, nursing home or other long-term care facility, or
148	148	retirement center, or with a relative described by Section
149	149	84.002(a)(3), in which case the address must be the address of that
150	150	facility or relative[; or
151	151	[(4) involuntary civil commitment, in which case the
152	152	address must be the address of the facility or of a relative
153	153	described by Section 84.002(a)(7)].
154	154	SECTION 6. Section 102.001(a), Election Code, is amended to
155	155	read as follows:
156	156	(a) A qualified voter is eligible to vote a late ballot as
157	157	provided by this chapter if the voter has a sickness or physical
158	158	condition that prevents the voter from appearing at the polling
159	159	place on election day [described by Section 82.002] that originates
160	160	on or after the [day before the] last day for early voting by
161	161	personal appearance [submitting an application for a ballot to be
162	162	voted by mail].
163	163	SECTION 7. (a) Sections 82.001, 82.002, 82.004, 82.007, and
164	164	82.008, Election Code, are repealed.
165	165	(b) Sections 84.002(b) and (c), Election Code, are
166	166	repealed.
167	167	SECTION 8. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
168	168	an application to vote an early voting ballot by mail submitted for
169	169	an election ordered on or after the effective date of this Act. An
170	170	application to vote an early voting ballot by mail submitted for an
171	171	election ordered before the effective date of this Act is governed
172	172	by the law in effect when the application was submitted, and the
173	173	former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
174	174	SECTION 9. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.