BILL ANALYSIS |
C.S.H.B. 2725 |
By: Goldman |
Elections |
Committee Report (Substituted) |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Interested observers report that counties and other political subdivisions holding an election are given considerable latitude in determining the dates, hours, and locations of mobile voting sites but contend that there is little oversight of these polling places. These observers maintain that entities holding elections target locations or populations that are likely to be in support of a ballot initiative, such as a school district bond proposition. The observers also contend that this targeting practice has been used by elected officials to tilt election results in a particular party's favor. The observers agree that mobile voting in theory is a means to provide convenient voting and to attract voters who may not otherwise cast a ballot but assert that, in practice, mobile voting may lead to confusion and inconvenience for voters and biased election results. C.S.H.B. 2725 seeks to address these concerns.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
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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.
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ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 2725 amends the Election Code to authorize the location of a movable temporary branch polling place to be changed only after the polling place has been open for at least two days of voting at its current location and to require early voting by personal appearance at such a polling place to be conducted for at least eight hours on each day voting is conducted.
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EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2015.
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COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 2725 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and formatted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.
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