HBA-LCA C.S.H.B. 2057 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 2057
By: Yarbrough
Elections
4/30/1999
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

According to a survey conducted by the secretary of state, more than
120,500 voters in 216 counties applied for ballots by mail during the last
general election cycle. Increasing numbers of people, particularly senior
citizens, are voting by mail, whether out of convenience or out of
necessity. 

In an attempt to guard against potential abuse of the increasingly popular
ballot-by-mail system, C.S.H.B. 2057 amends Chapter 84, Election Code
(Application for Ballot), to require that the name, official title, and
official mailing address of an early voting clerk must be pre-printed or
stamped on each application to eliminate the possibility that another
person, business, political party, or campaign might receive the
application. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 84.001(c), Election Code, to make no change.
Provides that an applicant is not required to use an official application
form. 

SECTION 2.  Amends Section 84.011, Election Code, by adding Subsection (c),
to provide that each officially prescribed application form must contain
the name, official title, and official mailing address of the early voting
clerk. 

SECTION 3.  Effective date:  September 1, 1999.

SECTION 4.  Emergency clause.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

The substitute modifies the original in SECTION 1 (Section 84.001(c),
Election Code), by reinstating text that would have been deleted in the
original.  The substitute provides that an applicant is not required to use
an official application form, while the original would have provided that
an applicant must use such a form.