By: Bettencourt S.B. No. 1255

(In the Senate - Filed February 27, 2019; March 7, 2019, read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs; April 8, 2019, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0; April 8, 2019, sent to printer.) Click here to see the committee vote

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the location of countywide polling places within a county.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 43.007(m), Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

(m) In adopting a methodology under Subsection (f), the county must ensure that:

(1) each county commissioners precinct contains at least one countywide polling place and the percentage of the total number of countywide polling places located in each commissioners precinct must be as equal as mathematically possible to the percentage of registered voters of the county whose registrations are effective on the date of the election residing in each commissioners precinct; and

(2) in a county with a population of 400,000 or more, the percentage of the total number of countywide polling places located in each state representative district in the county containing territory in which the election is held must be as equal as mathematically possible to the percentage of registered voters of the county whose registrations are effective on the date of the election residing in each state representative district [the total number of permanent branch and temporary branch polling places open for voting in a county commissioners precinct does not exceed more than twice the number of permanent branch and temporary branch polling places in another county commissioners precinct].

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.

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