BILL ANALYSIS |
C.S.H.B. 96 |
By: Swanson |
Elections |
Committee Report (Substituted) |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Interested parties suggest that the process by which signatures on an early voting ballot voted by mail are verified could be improved. The purpose of C.S.H.B. 96 is to improve the signature verification process.
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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. 96 amends the Election Code to replace the authorization for a signature verification committee appointed in any election to compare the signature on each carrier envelope certificate, except those signed for a voter by a witness, and the signature on the voter's ballot application with the signature on the voter's registration application to confirm that the signatures are those of the same person with an authorization for the committee to compare such signatures with any two or more signatures that the voter made within the preceding six years and on file with the general custodian of election records or voter registrar to confirm that the signatures are those of the voter. The bill replaces the prohibition against the committee using the registration application signature to determine that the signatures are not those of the same person with an authorization for the committee to use the signatures on file to determine that the signatures are not those of the voter.
C.S.H.B. 96 authorizes the early voting ballot board to compare a voter's signature on a ballot application or carrier envelope certificate with two or more signatures of the voter made within the preceding six years and on file with the general custodian of election records, in addition to the board's existing authority to make such a comparison with signatures on file with the voter registrar and changes the purpose of that comparison from confirming that the signatures are those of the same person to determining if the signatures are those of the voter. The bill removes the prohibition against the board using such signatures on file to determine that the signatures are not those of the same person. |
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EFFECTIVE DATE
On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, December 1, 2017.
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COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 96 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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