BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 932
By: Jackson, Mike
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Under current law, the Texas Voter Registration System, as governed by the Texas secretary of state, allows for only five optional spaces on the current voter registration certificate. However, in order to expedite the voting process and readily inform voters of their respective voting districts, mandatory spaces for jurisdictional districts or distinguishing numbers for any territorial unit in which the voter resides need to be included. These include, a congressional district, a state senatorial district, a state representative district, a commissioners precinct, a justice precinct, a city election precinct, or a school district election precinct. In many counties, voters are able to vote in more than five jurisdictional districts, but only five spaces are currently available on voter registration certificates for the 227 counties using the Texas Election Administration Management system.
S.B. 932 requires the jurisdictional districts or distinguishing numbers for certain territorial units in which the voter resides, as determined by the voting registrar, to be included on a voter registration certificate.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 15.001(a), Election Code, to require each voter registration certificate issued to contain the jurisdictional or distinguishing number for a congressional district, a state senatorial district, a state representative district, a commissioners precinct, a justice precinct, a city election precinct, and a school district election precinct, in which the voter resides, as determined by the voter registrar.
SECTION 2. Amends Section 15.002(c), Election Code, to authorize a voter registration certificate, in addition to the territorial units required to be listed on a voter registration certificate under Section 15.001(a)(16), to contain up to seven jurisdictional or distinguishing numbers for any other territorial units in which the voter resides. Deletes existing text authorizing a voter registration certificate to contain a jurisdictional or distinguishing number for any territorial unit in which the voter resides, including certain territorial units.
SECTION 3. Makes application of this Act prospective to January 1, 2008.
SECTION 4. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2007.