By Danburg H.B. No. 1598 77R6579 GGS-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to certain procedures for the mailing of early voting 1-3 ballot materials. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Section 84.002(a), Election Code, is amended to 1-6 read as follows: 1-7 (a) An early voting ballot application must include: 1-8 (1) the applicant's name and the address at which the 1-9 applicant is registered to vote; 1-10 (2) for an application for a ballot to be voted by 1-11 mail on the ground of absence from the county of residence, the 1-12 address outside the applicant's county of residence to which the 1-13 ballot is to be mailed for receipt by the applicant; 1-14 (3) for an application for a ballot to be voted by 1-15 mail on the ground of age or disability, the address of the 1-16 hospital, nursing home or other long-term care facility, or 1-17 retirement center, or of a person related to the applicant within 1-18 the second degree by affinity or the third degree by consanguinity, 1-19 as determined under Chapter 573, Government Code, if the applicant 1-20 is living at that address and that address is different from the 1-21 address at which the applicant is registered to vote; 1-22 (4) for an application for a ballot to be voted by 1-23 mail on the ground of confinement in jail, the address of the jail 1-24 or of a person related to the applicant within the degree described 2-1 by Subdivision (3); 2-2 (5) for an application for a ballot to be voted by 2-3 mail on any ground, an indication of each election for which the 2-4 applicant is applying for a ballot; and 2-5 (6) an indication of the ground of eligibility for 2-6 early voting. 2-7 SECTION 2. Section 86.003, Election Code, is amended by 2-8 amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (e) to read as 2-9 follows: 2-10 (c) The address to which the balloting materials must be 2-11 addressed is the address at which the voter is registered to vote 2-12 unless the ground for voting by mail is: 2-13 (1) absence from the county of residence, in which 2-14 case the address must be an address outside the voter's county of 2-15 residence that is not an address of a forwarding agent; 2-16 (2) confinement in jail, in which case the address 2-17 must be the address of the jail or of a relative described by 2-18 Section 84.002(a)(4); or 2-19 (3) age or disability and the voter is living at a 2-20 hospital, nursing home or other long-term care facility, or 2-21 retirement center, or with a relative described by Section 2-22 84.002(a)(3), in which case the address must be the address of that 2-23 facility or relative. 2-24 (e) The secretary of state shall prescribe any necessary 2-25 rules to describe a forwarding agent for purposes of this section. 2-26 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.