BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 88

By: Swanson

Elections

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been suggested that the process for determining the order of candidate names on a ballot for an election to resolve a tie vote and for a runoff election creates inefficiencies and delays, as well as unnecessary costs, for counties, political parties, and candidates. H.B. 88 seeks to address this issue by requiring the candidates' names on the ballots for those types of elections to be in the same relative order as the order of names on the original election ballot.

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.

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. 88 amends the Election Code to change the order of candidate names on a ballot for an election held to resolve a tie vote and on a runoff election ballot from an order determined by a drawing to the relative order of names on the original election ballot.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.