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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to county election precincts. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Sections 42.006(a) and (b), Election Code, are |
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amended to read as follows: |
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(a) Except as otherwise provided by this section, a county |
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election precinct must contain at least 500 [100] but not more than |
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10,000 [5,000] registered voters. |
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(b) For an election precinct in a county with a population |
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under 100,000, the maximum number of registered voters the precinct |
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may contain is 5,000, and the minimum number of registered voters |
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the precinct may contain is 50, except as provided by Subsection |
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(c). |
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SECTION 2. Section 42.031, Election Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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Sec. 42.031. REVIEWING PRECINCTS FOR COMPLIANCE: BOUNDARY |
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CHANGES. (a) Not later than September 15 [During March or April] |
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of each odd-numbered year, each commissioners court shall: |
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(1) determine whether the county election precincts |
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comply with the requirements of this chapter; and |
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(2) [Sections 42.005, 42.006, and 42.007. The |
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commissioners court may make that determination during March or |
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April of an even-numbered year. Before May 1 of the year in which |
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the determination is made, the commissioners court shall] order the |
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boundary changes necessary for compliance. |
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(b) The commissioners court may order a boundary change at |
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any time if [only during March or April unless] the change is |
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necessary to: |
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(1) comply with Section 42.005 or 42.032; |
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(2) reduce the number of registered voters in a |
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precinct so it does not exceed the maximum number permitted by |
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Section 42.006; or |
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(3) include within a precinct a suitable building |
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available for use as a polling place if no suitable building is |
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available for that purpose within the existing precinct boundary. |
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SECTION 3. Section 42.007, Election Code, is repealed. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |