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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to procedures concerning verification of certain |
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information submitted in a voter registration application. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 13, Election Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 13.0725 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 13.0725. PROCESS FOR VERIFICATION OF APPLICANT'S TEXAS |
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DRIVER'S LICENSE NUMBER, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUED |
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PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER, OR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER. (a) |
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The secretary of state shall adopt rules establishing standards |
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used for the verification of information on a voter registration |
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application submitted by a registrar under Section |
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13.072(a)(2)(A). The rules shall provide a process by which the |
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secretary of state verifies an applicant's Texas driver's license |
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number or Department of Public Safety issued personal |
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identification card number if, based on the available information, |
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a minor correction in the applicant's last name or date of birth as |
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submitted by the registrar would lead a reasonable person to |
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conclude that the number submitted is the correct number for that |
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applicant. |
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(b) If available, the secretary of state shall provide the |
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registrar with the name and date of birth maintained by the |
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Department of Public Safety or other agency used in the |
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verification process for a submitted application that corresponds |
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to the Texas driver's license number, Department of Public Safety |
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issued personal identification card number, or social security |
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number submitted by the registrar for verification if: |
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(1) the secretary of state cannot verify the accuracy |
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of an applicant's Texas driver's license number, Department of |
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Public Safety issued personal identification card number, or social |
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security number as submitted by the registrar; or |
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(2) the secretary of state verifies the accuracy of |
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the number provided, but it is not a perfect match with the personal |
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information provided by the registrar. |
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(c) A registrar shall review the information provided by the |
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secretary of state under Subsection (b). If the registrar |
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determines that a governmental clerical error was made in |
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processing or submitting the application, the registrar shall |
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correct the registration record and submit a corrected record to |
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the secretary of state as notice of the correction, and for |
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verification under Section 13.072(a)(2) if the application was not |
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verified. |
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SECTION 2. Section 13.073(a), Election Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), the registrar |
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shall deliver written notice of the reason for the rejection of an |
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application to the applicant not later than the second day after the |
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date of rejection. If an application is rejected because it was not |
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verified by the secretary of state under Section 13.072, the notice |
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shall indicate whether the last name, date of birth, Texas driver's |
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license number, Department of Public Safety issued personal |
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identification card number, or social security number was the |
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reason for the failure to verify, if that information is provided to |
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the registrar by the secretary of state under Section 13.0725. |
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SECTION 3. Not later than January 1, 2012, the secretary of |
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state shall adopt rules establishing the standards required by |
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Section 13.0725, Election Code, as added by this Act. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |