BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

                                                                                                                                      C.S.H.B. 938

                                                                                                                                           By: Talton

                                                                                                                                             Elections

                                                                                                        Committee Report (Substituted)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

Under current law, the only qualification to become a volunteer deputy registrar is that person must be at least 18 years old. Volunteer deputy voter registrars are entrusted with the responsibility of officially registering voters in the State of Texas. They are appointed by county voter registrars and charged with helping increase voter registration in the state, yet they are not required to meet the qualifications of a qualified voter found in the Election Code.  The position of a deputy voter registrar is believed to be one of importance and one of responsibility, so a deputy voter registrar should have to meet at least most of the same qualifications of a qualified voter.

 

C.S.H.B. 938 would require that a volunteer deputy registrar must meet the qualifications of a qualified voter, other than the requirement of being a registered voter. 

 

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

 

C.S.H.B. 938 amends the Election Code to require a volunteer deputy registrar to meet the qualifications of a qualified voter as found in the Election Code and deletes the one requirement of being 18 years of age or older.

The bill states that a registrar is prohibited from refusing to deputize a volunteer deputy registrar if a person is a resident of the county served by the registrar and is prohibited from refusing to deputize any person on the basis of sex, race, creed, color, or national origin or ancestry.

C.S.H.B. 938 provides that upon the effective date of this bill, each voter registrar shall terminate the appointment of a volunteer deputy registrar who does not meet the eligibility requirements created by this bill.    

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

September 1, 2007

 

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

 

The differences between C.S.H.B. 938 and H.B. 938 lie in SECTION 1 of these measures.  C.S.H.B. 938 states that a person must meet the qualifications of a qualified voter as found in the Election Code, other than the requirement that a person be a registered voter.  H.B. 938 stated that a volunteer deputy registrar must be a United States Citizen and be a registered voter.