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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to streamlining voter reregistration across county lines. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Sections 15.052(a) and (b), Election Code, are |
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amended to read as follows: |
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(a) The officially prescribed form for a confirmation |
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notice must include: |
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(1) a statement that, if the voter fails to submit to |
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the registrar a written, signed response confirming the voter's |
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current residence on or before the 30th day after the date the |
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confirmation notice is mailed: |
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(A) the voter is subject to submission of a |
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statement of residence before the voter may be accepted for voting |
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in an election held after that deadline; or |
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(B) for a notice delivered under Section 14.023, |
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the voter will remain subject to submission of a statement of |
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residence before the voter may be accepted for voting in an |
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election; [and] |
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(2) a warning that the voter's registration is subject |
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to cancellation if the voter fails to confirm the voter's current |
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residence either by notifying the registrar in writing or voting on |
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a statement of residence before November 30 following the second |
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general election for state and county officers that occurs after |
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the date the confirmation notice is mailed; and |
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(3) a statement that the voter must include all of the |
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required information on the official confirmation notice response |
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form. |
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(b) The official confirmation notice response form must: |
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(1) provide spaces for the voter to include all of the |
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information that a person must include in an application to |
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register to vote under Section 13.002; and |
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(2) be postage prepaid and preaddressed for delivery |
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to the registrar. |
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SECTION 2. Sections 15.053(a) and (c), Election Code, are |
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amended to read as follows: |
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(a) Not later than the 30th day after the date a |
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confirmation notice is mailed, the voter shall submit to the |
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registrar a written, signed response to the notice that confirms |
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the voter's current residence. The response must contain all of the |
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information that a person must include in an application to |
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register to vote under Section 13.002. |
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(c) The registrar shall act on the response in accordance |
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with Section 13.072 and retain the response on file with the voter's |
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registration application. |
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SECTION 3. Section 63.0011(c), Election Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(c) Before being accepted for voting, the voter must execute |
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and submit to an election officer a statement including: |
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(1) a statement that the voter satisfies the |
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applicable residence requirements prescribed by Subsection (b); |
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(2) all of the information that a person must include |
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in an application to register to vote under Section 13.002 [the
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voter's residence address or, if the residence has no address, the
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address at which the voter receives mail and a concise description
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of the location of the voter's residence]; and |
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(3) [the month, day, and year of the voter's birth;
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and
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[(4)] the date the statement is submitted to the |
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election officer. |
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SECTION 4. Not later than September 1, 2009, the secretary |
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of state shall prescribe: |
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(1) official forms for a confirmation notice and |
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confirmation notice response that meet the requirements of Section |
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15.052, Election Code, as amended by this Act; and |
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(2) a form that may be used for the statement of |
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residence that meets the requirements of Section 63.0011(c), |
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Election Code, as amended by this Act. |
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SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |