Honorable Mary Denny, Chair, House Committee on Elections
FROM:
John S. O'Brien, Deputy Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB2207 by Alonzo (Relating to allowing a political subdivision to hold a local option election on whether a lawfully admitted resident alien may vote in an election held by the political subdivision.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend Election Code to allow a local option election by a political subdivision to determine whether a person lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States may vote in an election held by the political subdivision. It would require the Secretary of State to adopt rules for the verification process of a person's residency status at the time the person applies to register to vote. It is anticipated that any costs to implement the provisions of the bill could be absorbed by existing resources.
Local Government Impact
If the governing body of a political subdivision orders an election, the political subdivision would have to pay for the costs associated with conducting the election. Based on costs reported to the Secretary of State (SOS) in the summer of 2004 by a sampling of counties, municipalities, and special districts, the average cost incurred by a local entity for an election is $1.29 per registered voter. According to March 2004 data from the SOS, there are nearly 12.3 million registered voters in Texas. The election cost per political subdivision would vary depending on the number of voters registered in each.