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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the hours during which the polls are open for early |
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voting by personal appearance. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 12.004(d), Election Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(d) The [If early voting by personal appearance is required
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to be conducted for extended hours under Section 85.005(c) or for
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weekend hours under Section 85.006(e), the] registrar's office |
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shall remain open for providing voter registration information |
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during the [extended hours or weekend] hours that the main early |
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voting polling place is open for voting. |
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SECTION 2. Section 85.005, Election Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsections (a) and (c) and adding Subsection (c-1) to |
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read as follows: |
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(a) Except as provided by Subsection (c), (c-1), or (d), in |
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an election in which a county clerk or city secretary is the early |
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voting clerk under Section 83.002 or 83.005, early voting by |
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personal appearance at the main early voting polling place shall be |
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conducted on the weekdays of the early voting period and during the |
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hours that the county clerk's or city secretary's main business |
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office is regularly open for business. |
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(c) In a county with a population of 100,000 or more but less |
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than 500,000, the voting in a primary election or the general |
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election for state and county officers shall be conducted at the |
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main early voting polling place for at least 12 hours on each |
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weekday of the last week of the early voting period, and the voting |
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in a special election ordered by the governor shall be conducted at |
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the main early voting polling place for at least 12 hours on each of |
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the last two days of the early voting period. Voting shall be |
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conducted in accordance with this subsection in those elections in |
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a county with a population under 100,000 on receipt by the early |
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voting clerk of a written request for the extended hours submitted |
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by at least 15 registered voters of the county. The request must be |
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submitted in time to enable compliance with Section 85.067. |
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(c-1) In a county with a population of 500,000 or more, the |
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voting in a primary election or the general election for state and |
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county officers or a special election ordered by the governor shall |
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be conducted at the main early voting polling place until at least 7 |
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p.m. on each weekday of the first week of the early voting period |
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and from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on each weekday of the remainder of the |
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early voting period. |
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SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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an election for which early voting begins on or after September 1, |
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2011. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |