1-1 By: Solomons (Senate Sponsor - Cain) H.B. No. 1914
1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 24, 1995;
1-3 April 25, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on State
1-4 Affairs; May 8, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote:
1-5 Yeas 11, Nays 0; May 8, 1995, sent to printer.)
1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-7 AN ACT
1-8 relating to the form of a voter's name on a voter registration
1-9 application or certificate.
1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11 SECTION 1. Sections 13.002(c) and (d), Election Code, are
1-12 amended to read as follows:
1-13 (c) A registration application must include:
1-14 (1) the applicant's <name as follows:>
1-15 <(A)> first name, middle name, if any, last
1-16 name, and former name, if any <surname; or>
1-17 <(B) first name, maiden name, and husband's
1-18 surname if the applicant is a married woman using the husband's
1-19 surname>;
1-20 (2) the applicant's sex;
1-21 (3) the month, day, and year of the applicant's birth;
1-22 (4) a statement that the applicant is a United States
1-23 citizen;
1-24 (5) if the applicant is a naturalized citizen, the
1-25 location of the court of naturalization;
1-26 (6) a statement that the applicant is a resident of
1-27 the county;
1-28 (7) a statement that the applicant has not been
1-29 finally convicted of a felony or that the applicant is a felon
1-30 eligible for registration under Section 13.001;
1-31 (8) if the applicant is currently registered in
1-32 another county, the name of that county and the applicant's
1-33 residence address on the registration certificate for that county;
1-34 (9) the applicant's residence address or, if the
1-35 residence has no address, the address at which the applicant
1-36 receives mail and a concise description of the location of the
1-37 applicant's residence;
1-38 (10) if the application is made by an agent, a
1-39 statement of the agent's relationship to the applicant; and
1-40 (11) the city or county and state, or foreign country,
1-41 in which the applicant was born.
1-42 (d) The omission of the applicant's middle or former
1-43 <maiden> name under Subsection (c)(1) or the applicant's zip code
1-44 under Subsection (c)(8) or (9) does not affect the validity of a
1-45 registration application, and the registrar may not reject the
1-46 application because of that omission.
1-47 SECTION 2. Section 15.001(a), Election Code, is amended to
1-48 read as follows:
1-49 (a) Each voter registration certificate issued must contain:
1-50 (1) the voter's name in the form indicated by the
1-51 voter, subject to applicable requirements prescribed by Section
1-52 13.002 and by rule of the secretary of state;
1-53 (2) the voter's residence address or, if the residence
1-54 has no address, the address at which the voter receives mail and a
1-55 concise description of the location of the voter's residence;
1-56 (3) the month, day, and year of the voter's birth and
1-57 the voter's sex;
1-58 (4) the number of the county election precinct in
1-59 which the voter resides;
1-60 (5) the voter's effective date of registration if an
1-61 initial certificate;
1-62 (6) the voter's registration number;
1-63 (7) an indication of the period for which the
1-64 certificate is issued;
1-65 (8) a statement that the voter will receive a new
1-66 certificate every two years as long as the voter's registration is
1-67 not canceled;
1-68 (9) a space for stamping the voter's political party
2-1 affiliation;
2-2 (10) a statement that voting with the certificate by a
2-3 person other than the person in whose name the certificate is
2-4 issued is a felony;
2-5 (11) a space for the voter's signature;
2-6 (12) a statement that the voter must sign the
2-7 certificate personally, if able to sign, immediately on receipt;
2-8 (13) a space for the voter to correct the information
2-9 on the certificate followed by a signature line;
2-10 (14) the statement: "If any information on this
2-11 certificate changes or is incorrect, correct the information in the
2-12 space provided, sign below, and return this certificate to the
2-13 voter registrar."; and
2-14 (15) the registrar's mailing address and telephone
2-15 number.
2-16 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
2-17 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
2-18 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-19 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-20 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-21 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
2-22 * * * * *