BILL ANALYSIS
By: Jackson, Mike
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
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
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
S.B. 932 amends the Election Code to state that each voter registration certificate issued must contain the jurisdictional or distinguishing number for the territorial units of 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.
The bill amends the Election Code to authorize a voter registration certificate, in addition to the territorial units required to be listed on a voter registration certificate, to contain up to seven jurisdictional or distinguishing numbers for any other territorial units in which the voter resides. The bill amends the Election Code to delete 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.
Application of this Act is prospective to January 1, 2008.
EFFECTIVE DATE
Upon passage, or, if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2007.