78R3145 ATP-D
By: Wilson H.B. No. 482
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to lowering the minimum voting age in elections.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 11.002, Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 11.002. QUALIFIED VOTER. In this code, "qualified
voter" means a person who:
(1) is 16 [18] years of age or older;
(2) is a United States citizen;
(3) has not been determined mentally incompetent by a
final judgment of a court;
(4) has not been finally convicted of a felony or, if
so convicted, has:
(A) fully discharged the person's sentence,
including any term of incarceration, parole, or supervision, or
completed a period of probation ordered by any court; or
(B) been pardoned or otherwise released from the
resulting disability to vote;
(5) is a resident of this state; and
(6) is a registered voter.
SECTION 2. Section 13.001, Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 13.001. ELIGIBILITY FOR REGISTRATION. (a) To be
eligible for registration as a voter in this state, a person must:
(1) be 16 [18] years of age or older;
(2) be a United States citizen;
(3) not have been determined mentally incompetent by a
final judgment of a court;
(4) not have been finally convicted of a felony or, if
so convicted, must have:
(A) fully discharged the person's sentence,
including any term of incarceration, parole, or supervision, or
completed a period of probation ordered by any court; or
(B) been pardoned or otherwise released from the
resulting disability to vote; and
(5) be a resident of the county in which application
for registration is made.
(b) To be eligible to apply for registration, a person must,
on the date the registration application is submitted to the
registrar, be at least 15 [17] years and 10 months of age and
satisfy the requirements of Subsection (a) except for age.
SECTION 3. Section 13.046(d), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(d) At least twice each school year, a high school deputy
registrar shall distribute an officially prescribed registration
application form to each student who is or will be 16 [18] years of
age or older during that year, subject to rules prescribed by the
secretary of state.
SECTION 4. Section 13.143(a), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) Except as provided by Subsections (b) and (e), if an
applicant's registration application is approved, the registration
becomes effective on the 30th day after the date the application is
submitted to the registrar or on the date the applicant becomes 16
[18] years of age, whichever is later.
SECTION 5. Section 16.001(a), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) Each month the local registrar of deaths shall prepare
an abstract of each death certificate issued in the month for a
decedent 16 [18] years of age or older who was a resident of the
state at the time of death. The local registrar of deaths shall
file each abstract with the voter registrar of the decedent's
county of residence not later than the 10th day of the month
following the month in which the abstract is prepared.
SECTION 6. Section 16.002(a), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) Each month the clerk of each court having jurisdiction
to adjudge a person mentally incompetent shall prepare an abstract
of each final judgment of a court served by the clerk, occurring in
the month, adjudging a person 16 [18] years of age or older who is a
resident of the state to be mentally incompetent.
SECTION 7. Section 16.003(a), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) Each week, on a day specified by the secretary of state,
the Department of Public Safety shall prepare an abstract of each
final judgment received by the department convicting a person 16
[18] years of age or older who is a resident of the state of a
felony.
SECTION 8. Section 64.002(b), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(b) A child under 18 years of age may accompany the child's
parent to a voting station. A child under 18 years of age who is
voting may not be accompanied by the child's parent to a voting
station.
SECTION 9. Section 253.158(b), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(b) In this section, "child" means a person:
(1) who is under 18 years of age;
(2) who is not and has not been married;
(3) [or] who has not had the disabilities of minority
removed for general purposes; and
(4) who is not registered to vote.
SECTION 10. This Act takes effect on the date the
constitutional amendment proposed by the 78th Legislature, Regular
Session, 2003, lowering the minimum voting age to 16 takes effect.
If the proposed constitutional amendment is not approved, this Act
has no effect.