By Gray H.B. No. 2457 77R7947 PAM-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to certain procedures governing the operation of early 1-3 voting signature verification committees. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Sections 87.027(i) and (j), Election Code, are 1-6 amended to read as follows: 1-7 (i) The signature verification committee shall compare the 1-8 signature on each carrier envelope certificate, except those signed 1-9 for a voter by a witness, with the signature on the voter's ballot 1-10 application to determine whether the signatures are those of the 1-11 same person. The committee may also compare the signatures with 1-12 the signature on the voter's registration application to confirm 1-13 that the signatures match but may not use the registration 1-14 application signature to determine that the signatures do not 1-15 match. If the committee chair determines that the ballots are so 1-16 numerous that the full committee cannot review each carrier 1-17 envelope certificate and ballot application independently, the 1-18 chair may designate subcommittees of the committee members to 1-19 compare signatures under this subsection. In an election in which 1-20 party alignment is indicated on the ballot, the subcommittees must 1-21 be balanced as equally as possible by members of each political 1-22 party required to nominate candidates by primary election. If the 1-23 committee suspects that the signatures on the carrier envelope 1-24 certificate and the ballot application do not match, the committee 2-1 shall immediately notify the voter by telephone and advise the 2-2 voter that the voter may appear before the committee and submit 2-3 evidence, including testimony, to establish that the voter signed 2-4 both the carrier envelope certificate and the ballot application. 2-5 A determination under this subsection that the signatures do not 2-6 match must be made by a majority vote of the committee's 2-7 membership. The committee shall place the jacket envelopes, 2-8 carrier envelopes, and applications of voters whose signatures do 2-9 not match in separate containers from those of voters whose 2-10 signatures match. The committee chair shall deliver the sorted 2-11 materials to the early voting ballot board at the time specified by 2-12 the board's presiding judge but within the period permitted for the 2-13 early voting clerk's delivery of early voting ballots to the board. 2-14 (j) If a signature verification committee is appointed, the 2-15 early voting ballot board shall follow the same procedure for 2-16 accepting the early voting ballots voted by mail as in an election 2-17 without a signature verification committee, except that the board 2-18 may not determine whether a voter's signatures on the carrier 2-19 envelope certificate and ballot application match if the committee 2-20 has determined that the signatures match. If the committee has 2-21 determined that the signatures do not match, the board shall review 2-22 that determination. The board may make a determination that the 2-23 signatures match by a majority vote of the board's membership. 2-24 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.