By Galloway                                     S.B. No. 1748

      75R8777 GGS-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to certain procedures for accepting a voter at a polling

 1-3     place.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 63, Election Code, is amended by adding

 1-6     Section 63.0101 to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 63.0101.  REQUEST FOR IDENTIFICATION.  (a)  The

 1-8     presiding judge shall request a voter who does not present a voter

 1-9     registration certificate when offering to vote and whose identity

1-10     is unknown to an election officer to present proof of

1-11     identification through a personal identification card or other

1-12     document bearing the voter's photograph.

1-13           (b)  After examining the proof of identification, an election

1-14     officer shall return the documentation to the voter.

1-15           (c)  A voter who fails to present proof of identification as

1-16     required by this section and whose name is not on the list of

1-17     registered voters for that precinct may not be accepted for voting.

1-18           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-19           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-20     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-21     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-22     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-23     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.