BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 3749

By: Flores

Elections

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Current law requires a voter registrar to provide the reason for the rejection of a voter registration application in writing or, if the application is rejected in the applicant's presence, verbally. However, there is no set standard for the thoroughness of detail the written notice of rejection must contain. Rejected registration applicants often do not understand, and are thus unable to reconcile, the nature of the registration problem, making it difficult for the applicants to correctly and successfully reapply. H.B. 3749 seeks to address this issue by requiring the voter registrar to provide specified information in the written notice of rejection to a voter whose voter registration application is rejected.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 3749 amends the Election Code to require the voter registrar, in providing a written or oral notice of the reason for rejection of a voter registration application, to identify which section or sections of the voter registration application resulted in the rejection. For each section identified, the registrar must specify if the section was incomplete, was improperly filled out, or contained information identifying the applicant as ineligible to vote.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2023.