BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1560

By: Klick

Elections

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties assert that early voting by mail ballots are often the subject of election fraud allegations and investigations, and there have been reports that some individuals offering assistance to voters in preparing such ballots are compensated based on the number of voters assisted. H.B. 1560 seeks to address the problems that may arise from such a situation by making it a criminal offense to engage in such conduct.

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

H.B. 1560 amends the Election Code to make it a Class A misdemeanor offense, for the purposes of assisting a voter casting a ballot by mail who cannot prepare the ballot because of certain physical disabilities or an inability to read the language in which the ballot is written, to compensate another person based on the number of voters assisted, to present another person with a quota of voters to be assisted, to engage in another practice that causes another person's compensation from or employment status with the person to be dependent on the number of voters assisted, or to accept compensation for such activities. The bill establishes that an officer, director, or other agent of an entity that commits an offense under the bill's provisions is punishable for the offense.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2013.