LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE
75th Regular Session
April 17, 1997
TO: Honorable Debra Danburg, Chair IN RE: House Bill No. 332, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
Committee on Elections By: Danburg
House
Austin, Texas
FROM: John Keel, Director
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on HB332 ( Relating
to election precincts and polling places; providing a criminal
penalty.) this office has detemined the following:
Biennial Net Impact to General Revenue Funds by HB332-Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
Implementing the provisions of the bill would result in a net
positive impact of $42,009 to General Revenue Related Funds
through the biennium ending August 31, 1999.
Fiscal Analysis
The bill would amend several sections of the Election Code.
Section 42.0051 would be amended to permit counties with a
population of 250,000 or more to combine election precincts
for precincts with between 500 and 750 registered voters. Sections
61.001 and 85.037 would be amended to make it a Class C misdemeanor
for candidates to enter the polling place except to vote or
conduct other business in the building. Section 85.062 as amended
would increase the minimum county population to 120,000 (from
100,000) before an early voting site in each County Commissioner's
precinct would be required. Section 112.006 would be amended
to make limited ballots by personal appearance available only
at the main early voting location, rather than the current early
voting location serving voters of the particular precinct.
Section 161.006 as amended would remove restrictions for political
parties to hold primary elections in the same building. Section
271.003 would be amended to permit the use of regular county
polling places as common polling places in joint elections.
Methodolgy
The Secretary of State calculated the cost savings that could
be realized from shared polling places in the primary and primary
runoff elections by adding the polling place rental costs for
the 1996 primary ($254,824) to the poll rental costs for the
1996 primary runoff ($165,261) and deducting ten percent of
the total of $420,085 to arrive at $42,008.50 savings per primary
season.
The probable fiscal implications of implementing
the provisions of the bill during each of the first five years
following passage is estimated as follows:
The probable fiscal implications of implementing the provisions
of the bill during each of the first five years following passage
is estimated as follows:
Five Year Impact:
Fiscal Year Probable
Savings/(Cost)
from General
Revenue Fund
0001
1998 $42,009
1998 0
2000 42,009
2001 0
2002 42,009
Net Impact on General Revenue Related Funds:
The probable fiscal implication to General Revenue related funds
during each of the first five years is estimated as follows:
Fiscal Year Probable Net Postive/(Negative)
General Revenue Related Funds
Funds
1998 $42,009
1999 0
2000 42,009
2001 0
2002 42,009
Similar annual fiscal implications would continue as long as
the provisions of the bill are in effect.
There would be possible cost savings for counties with populations
of 100,000 to 120,000 which would no longer be required to establish
an early voting polling place in each Commissioner's Court precinct.
Source: Agencies: 307 Secretary of State
LBB Staff: JK ,PE ,JC