BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.B. 1048
86R17185 ADM-F	By: Guillen (Zaffirini)
	State Affairs
	4/27/2019
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

When political subdivisions, such as school or hospital districts, designate different early voting polling places than sites designated by the county, voters may have to travel to two different locations to vote early in all of the races in which they are eligible to participate. This is not only inconvenient, but also causes confusion and affects voter turnout.

H.B. 1048 would address this problem by prohibiting political subdivisions from designating an early voting polling place other than one established by the county. This would ensure that voters need visit only a single poll site to vote early. 

H.B. 1048 amends current law relating to the use of a county early voting polling place by a political subdivision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 85.010, Election Code, by amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsections (a-1) and (b-1), as follows:

(a) Provides that this section (Early Voting Polling Place For Certain Elections Held by Political Subdivisions) applies to an election held by a political subdivision, other than a county, on a uniform election date, rather than on the November uniform election date, in which certain criteria are met.

(a-1) Defines "eligible county polling place" for purposes of this section.

(b) Creates Subdivision (1) from existing text. Provides that a political subdivision that holds an election described by Subsection (a):

(1) is required to designate as an early voting polling place for the election an eligible county polling place located in the political subdivision, rather than to designate as an early voting polling place for the election any early voting polling place, other than a polling place established under Section 85.062(e) (relating to authorizing a temporary branch polling place that is movable, in a certain election, to be established only with the approval of the county clerk), established by the county and located in the political subdivision; and

(2) is prohibited from designating as an early voting polling place a location other than an eligible county polling place unless each eligible county polling place located in the political subdivision is designated as an early voting polling place by the political subdivision.

(b-1) Requires a political subdivision, for an election held on the May uniform election date, to comply with Subsection (b) by designating an eligible county polling place established by a county for the most recent election held on the November uniform election date to the extent possible.

SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2019.