Enrolled Bill Summary

House Bill 2194	House Author:  Taylor, Larry
Effective:  See below	Senate Sponsor:  Jackson

            Effective September 1, 2011, House Bill 2194 amends the Election Code to establish eligibility requirements for appointment as a regular deputy voter registrar or volunteer deputy voter registrar and makes it a Class A misdemeanor for a person to engage in certain voter registration activity involving compensating another person or accepting compensation. The bill revises provisions relating to general eligibility requirements for serving as a judge of an election precinct.  The bill revises provisions relating to the implementation of a countywide polling place program, authorizes each county that previously participated in such a program to continue participation for future elections if approved by certain entities, and exempts such a county from certain program requirements. The bill requires unofficial election results to be released as soon as they are available after the polls close, with certain exceptions, and adds July as an alternative month in which the biennial state convention is to be held.  The bill amends the Government Code to expand the exception to the prohibition against a public official's involvement in the appointment or confirmation of an individual to a public office if a certain relationship exists.

            Effective January 1, 2012, the bill repeals Election Code provisions requiring the maintenance of a registration omissions list by an election officer at a polling place, the acceptance of a voter with an incorrect voter registration certificate who is not on the precinct list of registered voters, and the acceptance of a voter without such certificate who is on that list.  The bill revises the content of the affidavit required for provisional voting by a voter without a certificate who is not on the precinct registration list and the documents contained in envelope no. 4, used for assembling election records after an election.