Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1473 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R10212 JDK-F
2	2	By: Hall S.B. No. 1473
3	3
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to early voting by mail on the ground of absence from the
10	10	voter's county of residence.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 84.002(a), Election Code, is amended to
13	13	read as follows:
14	14	(a) An early voting ballot application must include:
15	15	(1) the applicant's name and the address at which the
16	16	applicant is registered to vote;
17	17	(1-a) the following information:
18	18	(A) the number of the applicant's driver's
19	19	license, election identification certificate, or personal
20	20	identification card issued by the Department of Public Safety;
21	21	(B) if the applicant has not been issued a number
22	22	described by Paragraph (A), the last four digits of the applicant's
23	23	social security number; or
24	24	(C) a statement by the applicant that the
25	25	applicant has not been issued a number described by Paragraph (A) or
26	26	(B);
27	27	(2) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail
28	28	on the ground of absence from the county of residence, the address
29	29	[outside the applicant's county of residence] to which the ballot
30	30	is to be mailed under Section 86.003(c);
31	31	(3) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail
32	32	on the ground of age or disability, the address of the hospital,
33	33	nursing home or other long-term care facility, or retirement
34	34	center, or of a person related to the applicant within the second
35	35	degree by affinity or the third degree by consanguinity, as
36	36	determined under Chapter 573, Government Code, if the applicant is
37	37	living at that address and that address is different from the
38	38	address at which the applicant is registered to vote;
39	39	(4) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail
40	40	on the ground of confinement in jail, the address of the jail or of a
41	41	person related to the applicant within the degree described by
42	42	Subdivision (3);
43	43	(5) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail
44	44	on any ground, an indication of each election for which the
45	45	applicant is applying for a ballot;
46	46	(6) an indication of the ground of eligibility for
47	47	early voting; and
48	48	(7) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail
49	49	on the ground of involuntary civil commitment, the address of the
50	50	facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Civil
51	51	Commitment Office or of a person related to the applicant within the
52	52	degree of consanguinity described by Subdivision (3).
53	53	SECTION 2. Section 84.011(a), Election Code, is amended to
54	54	read as follows:
55	55	(a) The officially prescribed application form for an early
56	56	voting ballot must include:
57	57	(1) immediately preceding the signature space the
58	58	statement: "I certify that the information given in this
59	59	application is true, and I understand that giving false information
60	60	in this application is a crime.";
61	61	(2) a statement informing the applicant of the
62	62	offenses prescribed by Sections 84.003 and 84.004;
63	63	(3) spaces for entering an applicant's voter
64	64	registration number and county election precinct of registration,
65	65	with a statement informing the applicant that failure to furnish
66	66	that information does not invalidate the application;
67	67	(3-a) a space for entering the information required
68	68	under Section 84.002(a)(1-a); and
69	69	(4) on an application for a ballot to be voted by mail:
70	70	(A) a space for an applicant applying on the
71	71	ground of absence from the county of residence to indicate the date
72	72	on or after which the applicant can receive mail at the address
73	73	listed on the applicant's application for a ballot to be voted by
74	74	mail [outside the county];
75	75	(B) a space for indicating the fact that an
76	76	applicant whose application is signed by a witness cannot make the
77	77	applicant's mark and a space for indicating the relationship or
78	78	lack of relationship of the witness to the applicant;
79	79	(C) a space for entering an applicant's telephone
80	80	number, with:
81	81	(i) a statement informing the applicant
82	82	that failure to furnish that information does not invalidate the
83	83	application; and
84	84	(ii) a statement prescribed by the
85	85	secretary of state explaining the benefits of furnishing that
86	86	information, including how that information assists the early
87	87	voting clerk;
88	88	(D) a space or box for an applicant applying on
89	89	the ground of age or disability to indicate that the address to
90	90	which the ballot is to be mailed is the address of a facility or
91	91	relative described by Section 84.002(a)(3), if applicable;
92	92	(E) a space or box for an applicant applying on
93	93	the ground of confinement in jail or involuntary civil commitment
94	94	to indicate that the address to which the ballot is to be mailed is
95	95	the address of a relative described by Section 84.002(a)(4) or (7),
96	96	if applicable;
97	97	(F) a space for an applicant applying on the
98	98	ground of age or disability to indicate if the application is an
99	99	application under Section 86.0015;
100	100	(G) spaces for entering the signature, printed
101	101	name, and residence address of any person assisting the applicant;
102	102	(H) a statement informing the applicant of the
103	103	condition prescribed by Section 81.005; and
104	104	(I) a statement informing the applicant of the
105	105	requirement prescribed by Section 86.003(c).
106	106	SECTION 3. Section 86.003(c), Election Code, is amended to
107	107	read as follows:
108	108	(c) The address to which the balloting materials must be
109	109	addressed is the address at which the voter is registered to vote,
110	110	or the registered mailing address if different, unless the ground
111	111	for voting by mail is:
112	112	(1) absence from the county of residence, in which
113	113	case the address may [must] be an address outside the voter's county
114	114	of residence;
115	115	(2) confinement in jail, in which case the address
116	116	must be the address of the jail or of a relative described by
117	117	Section 84.002(a)(4);
118	118	(3) age or disability and the voter is living at a
119	119	hospital, nursing home or other long-term care facility, or
120	120	retirement center, or with a relative described by Section
121	121	84.002(a)(3), in which case the address must be the address of that
122	122	facility or relative; or
123	123	(4) involuntary civil commitment, in which case the
124	124	address must be the address of the facility or of a relative
125	125	described by Section 84.002(a)(7).
126	126	SECTION 4. Section 87.041(b), Election Code, is amended to
127	127	read as follows:
128	128	(b) A ballot may be accepted only if:
129	129	(1) the carrier envelope certificate is properly
130	130	executed;
131	131	(2) neither the voter's signature on the ballot
132	132	application nor the signature on the carrier envelope certificate
133	133	is determined to have been executed by a person other than the
134	134	voter, unless signed by a witness;
135	135	(3) the voter's ballot application states a legal
136	136	ground for early voting by mail;
137	137	(4) the voter is registered to vote, if registration
138	138	is required by law;
139	139	(5) for a ballot [the address to which the ballot was]
140	140	mailed to the voter for[, as indicated by the application, was
141	141	outside the voter's county of residence, if the ground for] early
142	142	voting on the ground of [is] absence from the county of residence,
143	143	the address to which the ballot was mailed to the voter was:
144	144	(A) the address at which the voter is registered
145	145	to vote;
146	146	(B) the voter's registered mailing address, if
147	147	different from the address in Paragraph (A); or
148	148	(C) an address outside the voter's county of
149	149	residence;
150	150	(6) for a voter to whom a statement of residence form
151	151	was required to be sent under Section 86.002(a), the statement of
152	152	residence is returned in the carrier envelope and indicates that
153	153	the voter satisfies the residence requirements prescribed by
154	154	Section 63.0011;
155	155	(7) the address to which the ballot was mailed to the
156	156	voter is an address that is otherwise required by Sections 84.002
157	157	and 86.003; and
158	158	(8) the information required under Section 86.002(g)
159	159	provided by the voter identifies the same voter identified on the
160	160	voter's application for voter registration under Section
161	161	13.002(c)(8).
162	162	SECTION 5. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
163	163	an election ordered on or after the effective date of this Act.
164	164	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
165	165	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
166	166	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
167	167	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
168	168	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.