Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB892 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R3548 AND-D
2	2	By: Johnson S.B. No. 892
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to voter registration.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 12, Election Code, is
12	12	amended by adding Section 12.007 to read as follows:
13	13	Sec. 12.007. CERTAIN ELECTION OFFICERS ARE VOTER
14	14	REGISTRARS. An election officer serving a polling place for early
15	15	voting by personal appearance is a deputy voter registrar and has
16	16	the same authority as a regular deputy registrar.
17	17	SECTION 2. Section 13.001(b), Election Code, is amended to
18	18	read as follows:
19	19	(b) To be eligible to apply for registration, a person must,
20	20	on the date the registration application is submitted to the
21	21	registrar, be at least 17 years [and 10 months] of age and satisfy
22	22	the requirements of Subsection (a) except for age.
23	23	SECTION 3. Subchapter A, Chapter 13, Election Code, is
24	24	amended by adding Section 13.009 to read as follows:
25	25	Sec. 13.009. ELECTRONIC VOTER REGISTRATION. (a) The
26	26	secretary of state shall, in coordination with the Department of
27	27	Public Safety, implement a program to allow a person with an
28	28	unexpired driver's license or personal identification card issued
29	29	in this state to complete a voter registration application over the
30	30	Internet from a secure Internet website.
31	31	(b) The Internet website established under this section
32	32	must allow a person to submit:
33	33	(1) an initial application for registration; and
34	34	(2) an application to update a voter registration
35	35	record.
36	36	(c) When a person submits an application under this section,
37	37	the secretary of state shall compare the information provided by
38	38	the applicant against Department of Public Safety records.
39	39	(d) The completed online application and information from
40	40	the Department of Public Safety, including the applicant's digital
41	41	signature, shall be provided to:
42	42	(1) the county voter registration office for the
43	43	county where the applicant currently resides; and
44	44	(2) the secretary of state for the statewide
45	45	computerized voter registration list under Section 18.061.
46	46	(e) An application electronically submitted under this
47	47	section is considered for all purposes as an application submitted
48	48	by mail under this title. A digital signature given as provided by
49	49	secretary of state rule meets the signature requirement under
50	50	Section 13.002(b).
51	51	(f) The secretary of state shall adopt rules as necessary to
52	52	implement this section.
53	53	SECTION 4. Section 13.046, Election Code, is amended by
54	54	amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsection (d-1) to read as
55	55	follows:
56	56	(d) At least twice each school year, a high school deputy
57	57	registrar shall distribute an officially prescribed registration
58	58	application form to each student who is or will be 18 years of age or
59	59	older during that year, subject to rules prescribed by the
60	60	secretary of state. A high school deputy registrar shall annually
61	61	submit the number of registration application forms distributed
62	62	under this section and the number of students whose year of birth
63	63	was at least 18 years ago to the secretary of state.
64	64	(d-1) The secretary of state shall publish and maintain on
65	65	the agency's Internet website a list of high schools to which
66	66	Subsection (d) applies and indicate whether the school is in
67	67	compliance with that subsection.
68	68	SECTION 5. Chapter 62, Election Code, is amended by adding
69	69	Section 62.0015 to read as follows:
70	70	Sec. 62.0015. VOTER REGISTRARS MUST BE PRESENT. Two voter
71	71	registrars must be present at each polling place while the polls are
72	72	open.
73	73	SECTION 6. Chapter 63, Election Code, is amended by adding
74	74	Section 63.010 to read as follows:
75	75	Sec. 63.010. REGISTRATION AT POLLING PLACE. (a) A person
76	76	who would be eligible to vote in an election under Section 11.001,
77	77	but for the requirement to be a registered voter, shall be accepted
78	78	during voting by personal appearance for voting the ballot for the
79	79	precinct of the person's residence as shown by the identification
80	80	presented if, on the day the person offers to vote, the person:
81	81	(1) submits a voter registration application that
82	82	complies with Section 13.002 to an election officer at the polling
83	83	place; and
84	84	(2) presents as proof of residence a form of photo
85	85	identification described by Section 63.0101(a) that states the
86	86	person's current address.
87	87	(b) The election officer shall return the original proof of
88	88	residence to the voter.
89	89	(c) A person voting under this section shall vote a
90	90	provisional ballot in the manner provided by Section 63.011 except
91	91	that the person is not required to submit the affidavit under
92	92	Section 63.011(a).
93	93	(d) For each registration corresponding to a ballot cast
94	94	under this section, the voter registrar shall review the
95	95	application and determine whether the applicant is eligible for
96	96	registration as provided by Subchapter C, Chapter 13. A
97	97	registration approved under this subsection takes effect on the
98	98	date the vote was cast.
99	99	(e) The secretary of state may by rule:
100	100	(1) designate additional documents that a person may
101	101	offer to prove the person's residence to register and vote under
102	102	this section; and
103	103	(2) prescribe procedures to implement this section.
104	104	SECTION 7. Section 65.051(a), Election Code, is amended to
105	105	read as follows:
106	106	(a) The early voting ballot board shall verify and count
107	107	provisional ballots as provided by this subchapter not later than
108	108	the 10th [ninth] day after the date of an election.
109	109	SECTION 8. Section 67.003(b), Election Code, is amended to
110	110	read as follows:
111	111	(b) Each [Except as provided by Subsection (c), each] local
112	112	canvassing authority shall convene to conduct the local canvass at
113	113	the time set by the canvassing authority's presiding officer not
114	114	later than the 14th [11th] day after election day and not earlier
115	115	than the later of:
116	116	(1) the third day after election day;
117	117	(2) the date on which the early voting ballot board has
118	118	verified and counted all provisional ballots, if a provisional
119	119	ballot has been cast in the election; or
120	120	(3) the date on which all timely received ballots cast
121	121	from addresses outside of the United States are counted, if a ballot
122	122	to be voted by mail in the election was provided to a person outside
123	123	of the United States.
124	124	SECTION 9. Section 85.031(a), Election Code, is amended to
125	125	read as follows:
126	126	(a) For each person entitled to vote an early voting ballot
127	127	by personal appearance or entitled to register at a polling place,
128	128	the early voting clerk shall follow the procedure for accepting or
129	129	registering a regular voter on election day, with the modifications
130	130	necessary for the conduct of early voting.
131	131	SECTION 10. Section 67.003(c), Election Code, is repealed.
132	132	SECTION 11. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.