S.B. 196 78(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


S.B. 196
By: Staples
Elections
Committee Report (Unamended)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Under current law, a person can challenge the registration of a voter
without providing any knowledge of the person being challenged.  Likewise,
they can challenge the voter without giving a specific qualification for
registration that the challenged voter has not met based on personal
knowledge.  This allows many voters to be disqualified from voting without
any real evidence or demonstrated personal knowledge of a violation.  This
also allows groups of voters to be disqualified without being individually
named in the challenge.  Senate Bill 196 institutes procedures to ensure
that a voter's right to vote is only challenged with just cause. 


RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any
additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or
institution. 


ANALYSIS

Senate Bill 196 amends the Election Code by providing that the sworn
statement of the grounds for the challenge of a voter's registration must
identify the voter whose registration is being challenged and state a
specific qualification for registration that the challenged voter has not
met based on the personal knowledge of the voter desiring to challenge the
registration. 
    

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2003.