80R12467 JRJ-D

By: King of Parker, Christian, Macias, H.B. No. 626

Paxton, et al.

Substitute the following for H.B. No. 626:

By: Berman C.S.H.B. No. 626

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the procedures for registering to vote.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 13.002, Election Code, is amended by amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:

(c) A registration application must include:

(1) the applicant's first name, middle name, if any, last name, and former name, if any;

(2) the month, day, and year of the applicant's birth;

(3) a statement that the applicant is a United States citizen;

(4) a statement that the applicant is a resident of the county;

(5) a statement that the applicant has not been determined mentally incompetent by a final judgment of a court;

(6) a statement that the applicant has not been finally convicted of a felony or that the applicant is a felon eligible for registration under Section 13.001;

(7) the applicant's residence address or, if the residence has no address, the address at which the applicant receives mail and a concise description of the location of the applicant's residence;

(8) the following information:

(A) the applicant's Texas driver's license number or the number of a personal identification card issued by the Department of Public Safety or a statement by the applicant that the applicant has not been issued a driver's license or personal identification card; or

(B) if the applicant has not been issued a number described by Paragraph (A), the last four digits of the applicant's social security number or a statement by the applicant that the applicant has not been issued a social security number;

(9) if the application is made by an agent, a statement of the agent's relationship to the applicant; [and]

(10) the city and county in which the applicant formerly resided; and

(11) a certified copy of a document providing proof that the applicant is a United States citizen.

(e) The following documentation is acceptable as proof of citizenship under Subsection (c)(11):

(1) a birth certificate or other document confirming birth that is admissible in a court of law;

(2) United States citizenship papers issued to the applicant; or

(3) an unexpired United States passport issued to the applicant.

SECTION 2. Section 13.121(a), Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a) The officially prescribed application form for registration by mail must be in the form of [a] business reply mail [postcard], unless another form or system is used under Subsection (b), with postage paid by the state. The secretary of state shall design the form to enhance the legibility of its contents.

SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act to Section 13.002, Election Code, applies only to an application for voter registration that is submitted on or after the effective date of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007.