Honorable David Dewhurst, Lieutenant Governor, Senate Honorable Joe Straus, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB910 by Duncan (Relating to certain election practices and procedures. ), Conference Committee Report
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Election Code and the Government Code relating to certain election practices and procedures. The bill would amend the Election Code to allow for the delivery, submission, or filing of a document or paper to be made by telephonic facsimile machine, and provides guidelines for submission by such method. The bill would require for information filed with the Secretary of State by a local registrar of deaths to be filed electronically, which could be waived by the Secretary of State upon formal application. The bill would allow the Secretary of State to determine when certain submitted documents become public information.
The bill would allow the Secretary of State to prescribe the form and content of a ballot for an election using a voting system to conform to the formatting requirements of the system. The bill would remove the requirement that votes received in person by an early voting clerk, from an individual who is unable to enter a voting location, be received in the form of a sealed envelope. The bill would revise the date of when a copy of an application for a ballot to be voted by mail becomes available for public inspection.
The bill would allow the Secretary of State to prescribe different forms of application for a place on a ballot for an office of the federal government, state government, or a political party. The bill would amend: filing deadlines for an application for a place on certain ballots; the date a political party may submit a nominee for certain elections; and the election dates of certain elections. The bill would revise which costs of a recount are assessable against a person, and repeal Section 86.001(f) of the Election Code, related to reviewing applications and providing ballots.
The bill would amend the Government Code to require for information filed with the Secretary of State, related to individuals' ability to serve on a jury, to be filed electronically, which could be waived by the Secretary of State upon formal application.
The Secretary of State indicates the provisions of the bill could be implemented within existing resources.
The bill would take effect on September 1, 2013.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.