77R12256 GGS-F                           
         By Madden                                             H.B. No. 2693
         Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2693:
         By Madden                                         C.S.H.B. No. 2693
                                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 a polling place.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 1.005, Election Code, is amended by
 1-6     adding Subdivision (25) to read as follows:
 1-7                 (25)  "Electioneering" includes:
 1-8                       (A)  wearing or holding a button, sticker, pin,
 1-9     or other paraphernalia, including an article of clothing, relating
1-10     to a candidate, measure, or political party; or
1-11                       (B)  verbally communicating in any manner with
1-12     the intention of influencing voters.
1-13           SECTION 2.  Section 61.003(a), Election Code, is amended to
1-14     read as follows:
1-15           (a)  A person commits an offense if, during the voting period
1-16     and within 50 [100] feet of an outside door through which a voter
1-17     may enter the building in which a polling place is located, the
1-18     person:
1-19                 (1)  loiters; or
1-20                 (2)  electioneers for or against any candidate,
1-21     measure, or political party.
1-22           SECTION 3.  Section 61.010(a), Election Code, is amended to
1-23     read as follows:
1-24           (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b), a person may not
 2-1     wear a badge, insignia, emblem, or other similar communicative
 2-2     device relating to a candidate, measure, or political party
 2-3     appearing on the ballot, or to the conduct of the election, in the
 2-4     polling place or within 50 [100] feet of any outside door through
 2-5     which a voter may enter the building in which the polling place is
 2-6     located.
 2-7           SECTION 4.  Sections 85.036(a) and (b), Election Code, are
 2-8     amended to read as follows:
 2-9           (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b), during  the time
2-10     an early voting polling place is open for the conduct of early
2-11     voting, a person may not electioneer for or against any candidate,
2-12     measure, or political party in or within a certain distance from
2-13     the building or structure in which the early voting polling place
2-14     is located, as follows:
2-15                 (1)  for a building containing the main early voting
2-16     polling place, a person may not electioneer in the room in which
2-17     the polling place is located or within 50 [30] feet of the entrance
2-18     to the room in which the polling place is located;
2-19                 (2)  for a building that is also used as a precinct
2-20     polling place, a person may not electioneer within 50 [100] feet of
2-21     an outside door through which a voter may enter the building in
2-22     which the polling place is located; and
2-23                 (3)  for any other structure, a person may not
2-24     electioneer within 50 [30] feet of the entrance to the voting area.
2-25           (b)  For a county courthouse, subcourthouse, or courthouse
2-26     annex, a person may not electioneer in the building or within 50
2-27     [30] feet of an outside door through which a voter may enter the
 3-1     building in which the polling place is located if the commissioners
 3-2     court issues an order to that effect.  The order must be recorded
 3-3     in the commissioners court's minutes not later than the 10th day
 3-4     before the date early voting is to be conducted in the building.
 3-5           SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.