LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                              April 18, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Debra Danburg, Chair, House Committee on
               Elections
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB709  by Danburg (Relating to the maximum number of
               registered voters an election precinct may contain in
               certain counties.), Committee Report 1st House,
               Substituted
  
**************************************************************************
*  No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.                    *
**************************************************************************
  
Local Government Impact
  
The bill would change the parameters for determining the maximum number
of registered voters allowed per election precinct.  A county with a
population of less than 400,000 would be limited to 3,000 registered
voters per precinct and a county with a population of more than 400,000
would be limited to 6,000 registered voters per precinct.  The provisions
of the bill would also prohibit a county election precinct that is
larger than 200 square miles from combining with an adjacent precinct for
the purpose of reaching the maximum number of registered voters a
precinct may contain.

If the number of registered voters per precinct were to change and result
in a reduction in the number of precincts a county may have, the county
would experience a cost savings by reducing the number of precincts
requiring equipment and staff for each election.  However, if the number
of registered voters were to increase thereby requiring the
establishment of additional precincts, the county would incur costs for
establishing new precincts, which include a one-time cost of purchasing
four voting machines at $3,500 each and salaries of staff to oversee
proceedings at each additional precinct for each election.
  
  
Source Agencies:   
LBB Staff:         JK, TB, DB