By Madden                                              H.B. No. 307
         76R619 GGS-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the meaning of electioneering and to the distance
 1-3     within which electioneering is prohibited at an early voting
 1-4     polling place.
 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-6           SECTION 1.  Section 1.005, Election Code, is amended by
 1-7     adding Subdivision (25) to read as follows:
 1-8                 (25)  "Electioneering" includes:
 1-9                       (A)  wearing or holding a button, sticker, pin,
1-10     or other paraphernalia, including an article of clothing, relating
1-11     to a candidate, measure, or political party; or
1-12                       (B)  verbally communicating in any manner with
1-13     the intention of influencing voters.
1-14           SECTION 2.  Sections 85.036(a) and (b), Election Code, are
1-15     amended to read as follows:
1-16           (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b), during  the time
1-17     an early voting polling place is open for the conduct of early
1-18     voting, a person may not electioneer for or against any candidate,
1-19     measure, or political party in or within a certain distance from
1-20     the building or structure in which the early voting polling place
1-21     is located, as follows:
1-22                 (1)  for a building containing the main early voting
1-23     polling place, a person may not electioneer in the room in which
1-24     the polling place is located or within 100 [30] feet of the
 2-1     entrance to the room in which the polling place is located;
 2-2                 (2)  for a building that is also used as a precinct
 2-3     polling place, a person may not electioneer within 100 feet of an
 2-4     outside door through which a voter may enter the building in which
 2-5     the polling place is located; and
 2-6                 (3)  for any other structure, a person may not
 2-7     electioneer within 100 [30] feet of the entrance to the voting
 2-8     area.
 2-9           (b)  For a county courthouse, subcourthouse, or courthouse
2-10     annex, a person may not electioneer in the building or within 100
2-11     [30] feet of an outside door through which a voter may enter the
2-12     building in which the polling place is located if the commissioners
2-13     court issues an order to that effect.  The order must be recorded
2-14     in the commissioners court's minutes not later than the 10th day
2-15     before the date early voting is to be conducted in the building.
2-16           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
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.