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| 1 | - | By: Bettencourt, et al. S.B. No. 985 | |
| 2 | - | ||
| 3 | - | ||
| 1 | + | By: Bettencourt, Hagenbuch, Paxton S.B. No. 985 | |
| 2 | + | (In the Senate - Filed January 29, 2025; February 13, 2025, | |
| 3 | + | read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs; | |
| 4 | + | March 17, 2025, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 11, | |
| 5 | + | Nays 0; March 17, 2025, sent to printer.) | |
| 6 | + | Click here to see the committee vote | |
| 4 | 7 | ||
| 5 | 8 | ||
| 6 | 9 | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED | |
| 7 | 10 | AN ACT | |
| 8 | 11 | relating to the combination of certain election precincts. | |
| 9 | 12 | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | |
| 10 | 13 | SECTION 1. Section 42.0051, Election Code, is amended to | |
| 11 | 14 | read as follows: | |
| 12 | 15 | Sec. 42.0051. COMBINING CERTAIN PRECINCTS. (a) If changes | |
| 13 | 16 | in county election precinct boundaries to give effect to a | |
| 14 | 17 | redistricting plan result in county election precincts with fewer | |
| 15 | - | than | |
| 16 | - | ||
| 18 | + | than 500 registered voters, a commissioners court for a general or | |
| 19 | + | special election, or for a primary election the county executive | |
| 17 | 20 | committee of a political party conducting a primary election, may | |
| 18 | 21 | combine county election precincts notwithstanding Section 42.005 | |
| 19 | 22 | to avoid unreasonable expenditures for election equipment, | |
| 20 | 23 | supplies, and personnel [This section applies only to a county with | |
| 21 | 24 | a population of less than 1.2 million that does not participate in | |
| 22 | 25 | the countywide polling place program described by Section 43.007]. | |
| 23 | - | (b) A combined precinct under Subsection (a) or (b) is | |
| 26 | + | (b) County election precincts in a county with a population | |
| 27 | + | of not less than 250,000 may also be combined under Subsection (a) | |
| 28 | + | if the changes result in county election precincts with not fewer | |
| 29 | + | than 500 and not more than 750 registered voters. | |
| 30 | + | (c) A combined precinct under Subsection (a) or (b) is | |
| 24 | 31 | subject to the maximum population prescribed for a precinct under | |
| 25 | 32 | Section 42.006. | |
| 26 | - | (c) [(a-1)] In a primary election, the county executive | |
| 27 | - | committee of a political party conducting the primary election, or | |
| 28 | - | for a general or special election for which use of county election | |
| 29 | - | precincts is required, the commissioner's court of a county that | |
| 30 | - | does not participate in the countywide polling place program | |
| 31 | - | described by Section 43.007 may, on the recommendation of the | |
| 32 | - | county election board, combine county election precincts | |
| 33 | - | notwithstanding Section 42.005 if: | |
| 33 | + | (d) [(a-1)] In a general or special election for which use | |
| 34 | + | of county election precincts is required, the commissioner's court | |
| 35 | + | of a county with a population of less than 1.2 million that does not | |
| 36 | + | participate in the countywide polling place program described by | |
| 37 | + | Section 43.007 may, on the recommendation of the county election | |
| 38 | + | board, combine county election precincts notwithstanding Section | |
| 39 | + | 42.005 if: | |
| 34 | 40 | (1) the commissioners court cannot secure a suitable | |
| 35 | 41 | polling place location under Section 43.031; and | |
| 36 | 42 | (2) the location of the combined polling place | |
| 37 | 43 | adequately serves the voters of the combined precinct. | |
| 38 | - | ( | |
| 44 | + | (e) [(c)] A combined precinct under Subsection (d) [this | |
| 39 | 45 | section] may not contain more than 10,000 registered voters. | |
| 40 | - | ( | |
| 46 | + | (f) [(d)] A combined precinct may not be established if it: | |
| 41 | 47 | (1) results in a dilution of voting strength of a group | |
| 42 | 48 | covered by the federal Voting Rights Act (42 U.S.C. Section 1973c et | |
| 43 | 49 | seq.); | |
| 44 | 50 | (2) results in a dilution of representation of a group | |
| 45 | 51 | covered by the Voting Rights Act in any political or electoral | |
| 46 | 52 | process or procedure; or | |
| 47 | 53 | (3) results in discouraging participation by a group | |
| 48 | 54 | covered by the Voting Rights Act in any political or electoral | |
| 49 | 55 | process or procedure because of the location of a polling place or | |
| 50 | 56 | other factors. | |
| 51 | - | (f) For the purposes of appointing a presiding election judge | |
| 52 | - | and an alternate presiding judge to a county election precinct | |
| 53 | - | combined under this section, the combined precinct shall be | |
| 54 | - | considered a single precinct and the judges shall be appointed in | |
| 55 | - | accordance with the procedures provided under Chapter 32. | |
| 56 | 57 | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. | |
| 58 | + | * * * * * |