| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to procedures for the determination of the validity of |
|
|
certain petitions filed in connection with an election. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Chapter 277, Election Code, is amended by adding |
|
|
Sections 277.005 and 277.006 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 277.005. PETITION FORM. (a) The secretary of state |
|
|
may adopt a petition form that may be used for a petition authorized |
|
|
or required to be filed by a law outside this code. |
|
|
(b) The authority to which a petition using the form adopted |
|
|
under Subsection (a) is submitted may not invalidate a petition |
|
|
because the petition did not contain information required by |
|
|
Section 277.002(a)(1) that the petition form failed to provide or |
|
|
to require to be provided. |
|
|
Sec. 277.006. CERTIFICATION OF VOTERS BY SECRETARY OF |
|
|
STATE. (a) The authority to which a petition is submitted shall |
|
|
provide the petition to the secretary of state for certification |
|
|
under Subsection (b). |
|
|
(b) The secretary of state shall certify whether the signers |
|
|
of a petition provided to the secretary under Subsection (a) are |
|
|
registered voters of the applicable territory and shall deliver the |
|
|
results of the certification to the authority. |
|
|
(c) An authority may not invalidate a petition signature |
|
|
based on the signer's ineligibility to sign the petition if the |
|
|
secretary of state certified the signer under this section. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 277.006, Election Code, as added by this |
|
|
Act, applies only to a petition submitted on or after the effective |
|
|
date of this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |