By Madden                                             H.B. No. 2924
         76R7579 DRH-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the use of state and federal write-in absentee ballots.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 105.002(a),  Election Code, as added by
 1-5     Chapter 1349, Acts of the 75th Legislature, Regular Session, 1997,
 1-6     is amended to read as follows:
 1-7           (a)  The secretary of state shall prescribe procedures to
 1-8     allow a voter to apply for and cast a state write-in ballot before
 1-9     the time a voter  may receive a regular ballot to be voted by mail
1-10     if the voter:
1-11                 (1)  is a member of the armed forces of the United
1-12     States or the spouse or a dependent of a member or a citizen of the
1-13     United States who is living outside the United States;
1-14                 (2)  is unable to cast a ballot on election day or
1-15     during the regular period for early voting because of a military or
1-16     other contingency; and
1-17                 (3)  makes an application on an official [a] federal
1-18     postcard application form that:
1-19                       (A)  indicates that the person desires a state
1-20     write-in ballot; and
1-21                       (B)  contains the information that is required
1-22     for registration under Title 2.
1-23           SECTION 2.  Chapter 105, Election Code, as added by Chapter
1-24     1349, Acts of the 75th Legislature, Regular Session, 1997, is
 2-1     amended by adding Section 105.003 to read as follows:
 2-2           Sec. 105.003.  FEDERAL WRITE-IN ABSENTEE BALLOT AS
 2-3     REGISTRATION FORM.  A person who submits a federal write-in
 2-4     absentee ballot may use the federal write-in ballot transmission
 2-5     envelope as an application for registration to vote in this state
 2-6     if the transmission envelope contains the information that is
 2-7     required for registration under Title 2.
 2-8           SECTION 3.  The chapter heading for Chapter 105, Election
 2-9     Code, as added by Chapter 1349, Acts of the 75th Legislature,
2-10     Regular Session, 1997, is  amended to read as follows:
2-11          CHAPTER 105.  VOTING BY PERSONS OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES
2-12                DURING ELECTION PERIOD [MILITARY PERSONNEL] 
2-13           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
2-14           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-15     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-16     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-17     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-18     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.