1-1     By:  Madden, Hochberg (Senate Sponsor - Shapiro)       H.B. No. 563
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 9, 2001;
 1-3     May 10, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on State
 1-4     Affairs; May 11, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote:
 1-5     Yeas 8, Nays 0; May 11, 2001, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to certain practices and procedures involved with a
 1-9     polling place used in an election.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1.  Chapter 43, Election Code, is amended by adding
1-12     Subchapter C to read as follows:
1-13       SUBCHAPTER C.  INFORMATION REGARDING LOCATION OF POLLING PLACE
1-14           Sec. 43.061.  NOTICE OF CHANGE OF LOCATION OF POLLING PLACE.
1-15     (a)  This section applies only to a general or special election
1-16     that is ordered by the governor or the county judge.
1-17           (b)  If the location of a polling place changes after notice
1-18     of an election is given under Section 4.003, the county clerk shall
1-19     give notice of the change not later than the earlier of:
1-20                 (1)  24 hours after the location is changed; or
1-21                 (2)  24 hours before the polls open on election day.
1-22           (c)  Notice required by Subsection (b) must be given by:
1-23                 (1)  notifying each candidate whose name appears on the
1-24     ballot in the election or, in the case of an office filled by
1-25     voters of more than one county, notifying the county chair or, for
1-26     an independent candidate, the county judge of the county in which
1-27     the change occurs; or
1-28                 (2)  posting the notice in a listing used specifically
1-29     to inform the public of changes to the location of a polling place
1-30     on any Internet website that the county clerk maintains to provide
1-31     information on elections held in the county.
1-32           Sec. 43.062.  NOTICE AT PREVIOUS POLLING PLACE.  If the
1-33     location of the polling place for an election precinct is different
1-34     from the location used for the precinct in the preceding election
1-35     ordered by the same authority, the authority responsible for giving
1-36     notice of the election shall, if possible, post notice at the
1-37     entrance to the previous polling place stating that the location
1-38     has changed and providing the location of the new polling place.
1-39           Sec. 43.063.  USE OF COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION.  In an
1-40     election in which detailed poll location information is available
1-41     at a polling place through a computer, an election officer shall
1-42     provide that information to assist voters in determining the
1-43     correct polling place location for the voter's election precinct.
1-44           SECTION 2.  Section 62.001, Election Code, is amended to read
1-45     as follows:
1-46           Sec. 62.001.  OFFICERS TO ASSEMBLE. (a)  On election day, the
1-47     presiding judge and the election clerks the judge assigns to assist
1-48     with preparing the polling place shall meet at the polling place in
1-49     time to prepare it to receive the voters.
1-50           (b)  If the polling place is left unattended at any time
1-51     after the preparations for voting begin, the presiding judge shall
1-52     take appropriate steps to provide for the security of the polling
1-53     place.  This subsection does not affect the security requirements
1-54     for a polling place after the polls open.
1-55           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
1-56                                  * * * * *