| 1 | 1 | | 89R17277 AB-F |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | By: Cook S.B. No. 2738 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | relating to high school deputy voter registrars. |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 13.046, Election Code, is amended by |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsections (d-1), (e-1), (e-2), |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | and (e-3) to read as follows: |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | (d) At least twice each school year, a high school deputy |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | registrar shall distribute an officially prescribed registration |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | application form to each student in the 12th grade or who is or will |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | be 18 years of age or older during that year, subject to rules |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | prescribed by the secretary of state, by hand delivery or by |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | inclusion in standard school material packets. |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | (d-1) Each public or private high school shall: |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | (1) provide access to registration application forms |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | in the school office or another public area within the school; and |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | (2) verbally or virtually notify students at the |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | beginning of the school year of the form's availability and |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | location. |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | (e-1) Each high school deputy registrar shall not later than |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | August 31 of each year submit to the secretary of state a report for |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | the preceding school year. The report must include: |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | (1) the total number of registration application forms |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | distributed under Subsection (d); |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | (2) a detailed description of the location where |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | registration application forms submitted to the high school deputy |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | registrar under Subsection (e) are kept; |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | (3) the months during which the registration |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | application forms were distributed; and |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | (4) the name of the high school deputy registrar and, |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | if different, the name of the principal. |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | (e-2) The secretary of state may redact the name or names |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | provided under Subsection (e-1)(4) from the report before providing |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | public access to the report. |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | (e-3) A public or private high school shall conduct at least |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | two voter registration drives during each school year at the |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | school's expense. The school may cooperate with the county |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | election office, nonpartisan, nonprofit voter registration |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | organizations, and nonpartisan voter registration agencies as |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | necessary to provide voter registration assistance. At least one |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | deputy registrar must attend to provide voter registration |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | application forms, assist students in completing the forms to the |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | extent permissible by law, and collect completed forms for |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | submission to the county voter registrar. Each student in the 12th |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | grade and any other student who is eligible to register to vote must |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | be allowed to attend the registration drives. The registration |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | drives must be offered during classroom instructional time or in a |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | public area of the school building. |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | SECTION 2. Section 13.047, Election Code, is amended by |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | adding Subsection (c) to read as follows: |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | (c) Each public school and open-enrollment charter school |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | shall offer in-person or virtual training developed under this |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | section at least once per year. The training shall be offered |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | during the school week and must be made available to each student, |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | school employee, parent, or local community member eligible for the |
|---|
| 62 | 62 | | training. The school shall collaborate with the county in which the |
|---|
| 63 | 63 | | school is located to provide the training. The school shall |
|---|
| 64 | 64 | | communicate the training details virtually to all educators at the |
|---|
| 65 | 65 | | school. |
|---|
| 66 | 66 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
|---|