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Amend CSSB 1 (house committee printing) as follows:
(1) On page 2, line 22, strike "strictly construe" and substitute "interpret".
(2) On page 3, line 6, strike "Subsection (c)" and substitute "Subsections (c)(3), (4), (5), (6), and (8)"
(3) On page 3, line 24, strike "original".
(4) On page 4, line 12, strike "either".
(5) On page 7, line 4, strike "CLOSING POLLING PLACE" and substitute "POLLING PLACE CHECKLISTS".
(6) On page 7, line 7, between "the" and "closing", insert "opening and".
(7) On page 11, strike lines 15 through 21 and substitute the following:
(g) A presiding judge may not have a watcher duly accepted for service under Subchapter A, Chapter 33, removed from the polling place for violating a provision of this code or any other provision of law relating to the conduct of elections, other than a violation of the Penal Code, unless the violation was observed by an election judge or clerk.
(8) Add the following appropriately numbered SECTION to ARTICLE 4 of the bill and renumber subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 4 accordingly:
SECTION 4.____. Subchapter A, Chapter 33, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 33.0016 to read as follows:
Sec. 33.0016. REFERENCES TO EARLY VOTING BALLOT BOARD IN THIS CHAPTER. A reference in this chapter to an early voting ballot board includes a signature verification committee.
(9) On page 12, line 18, strike "Class B" and substitute "Class A".
(10) On page 16, line 24, strike "(d)" and substitute "(b-1)".
(11) On page 17, line 3, strike "license" and substitute "license, election identification certificate,".
(12) On page 18, line 10, strike "(d)" and substitute "(b-1)".
(13) On page 18, line 10, strike "license" and substitute "license, election identification certificate,".
(14) On page 20, strike line 18 and substitute the following:
87.0271(b) or (c) or 87.0411(b) or (c).
(15) On page 20, line 20, strike "Subsection (f)" and substitute "Subsections (f), (f-1), and (f-2)".
(16) On page 20, strike lines 21 through 24 and substitute the following:
(f) If the information required under Section 84.002(a)(1-a) included on the application does not identify the same voter identified on the applicant's application for voter registration under Section 13.002(c)(8), the clerk shall reject the application.
(f-1) If an application is rejected under Subsection (f), the clerk shall provide notice of the rejection in accordance with Subsection (c). The notice must include information regarding the ability to correct or add information required under Section 84.002(a)(1-a) through the online tool described by Section 86.015(c).
(f-2) If an applicant corrects an application for a ballot to be voted by mail online and that application subsequently identifies the same voter identified on the applicant's application for voter registration, the clerk shall provide a ballot to the applicant as provided by this chapter.
(17) On page 21, line 3, strike "license" and substitute "license, election identification certificate,".
(18) On page 21, line 11, strike "license" and substitute "license, election identification certificate,".
(19) Add the following appropriately numbered SECTION to ARTICLE 5 of the bill and renumber subsequent SECTIONS of that ARTICLE accordingly:
SECTION 5.____. Section 86.015(c), Election Code, as effective September 1, 2021, is amended to read as follows:
(c) An online tool used under this section must:
(1) for each election, record:
(A) each application for a ballot to be voted by mail received by the clerk; and
(B) each carrier envelope sent to a voter by the clerk;
(2) for each carrier envelope, record or assign a serially numbered and sequentially issued barcode or tracking number that is unique to each envelope; [and]
(3) update the applicable Internet website as soon as practicable after each of the following events occurs:
(A) receipt by the early voting clerk of the person's application for a ballot to be voted by mail;
(B) acceptance or rejection by the early voting clerk of the person's application for a ballot to be voted by mail;
(C) placement in the mail by the early voting clerk of the person's official ballot;
(D) receipt by the early voting clerk of the person's marked ballot; and
(E) acceptance or rejection by the early voting ballot board of a person's marked ballot; and
(4) allow a voter to add or correct information required under Section 84.002(a)(1-a) or Section 86.002(g).
(20) On page 22, line 25, strike "or".
(21) On page 22, between lines 25 and 26, insert the following:
(4) missing information or containing incorrect information required under Section 84.002(a)(1-a) or Section 86.002; or
(22) On page 22, line 26, strike "(4)" and substitute "(5)".
(23) On page 23, strike lines 1 through 14 and substitute the following and reletter subsequent subsections accordingly:
(b) Not later than the second business day after a signature verification committee discovers a defect described by Subsection (a) and before the committee decides whether to accept or reject a timely delivered ballot under Section 87.027, the committee shall:
(1) determine if it would be possible for the voter to correct the defect and return the carrier envelope before the time the polls are required to close on election day; and
(2) return the carrier envelope to the voter by mail, if the committee determines that it would be possible for the voter to correct the defect and return the carrier envelope before the time the polls are required to close on election day.
(c) If the signature verification committee determines under Subsection (b)(1) that it would not be possible for the voter to correct the defect and return the carrier envelope before the time the polls are required to close on election day, the committee may notify the voter of the defect by telephone or e-mail and inform the voter that the voter may request to have the voter's application to vote by mail canceled in the manner described by Section 84.032 or come to the early voting clerk's office in person not later than the sixth day after election day to correct the defect.
(24) On page 23, line 16, strike "(b)" and substitute "(b) or (c)".
(25) On page 23, line 20, strike "(b)" and substitute "(b) or (c)".
(26) On page 24, line 26, strike "matches the information" and substitute "identifies the same voter identified".
(27) On page 25, line 2, strike "matches the information" and substitute "identifies the same voter identified".
(28) On page 25, line 8, strike the underlined colon.
(29) On page 25, strike lines 9 through 12.
(30) On page 25, line 13, strike "(2)".
(31) On page 26, line 1, strike "or".
(32) On page 26, between lines 1 and 2, insert the following:
(4) missing information or containing incorrect information required under Section 84.002(a)(1-a) or Section 86.002; or
(33) On page 26, line 2, strike "(4)" and substitute "(5)".
(34) On page 26, strike lines 4 through 17 and substitute the following and reletter subsequent subsections accordingly:
(b) Not later than the second business day after a signature verification committee discovers a defect described by Subsection (a) and before the committee decides whether to accept or reject a timely delivered ballot under Section 87.041, the committee shall:
(1) determine if it would be possible for the voter to correct the defect and return the carrier envelope before the time the polls are required to close on election day; and
(2) return the carrier envelope to the voter by mail, if the committee determines that it would be possible for the voter to correct the defect and return the carrier envelope before the time the polls are required to close on election day.
(c) If the signature verification committee determines under Subsection (b)(1) that it would not be possible for the voter to correct the defect and return the carrier envelope before the time the polls are required to close on election day, the committee may notify the voter of the defect by telephone or e-mail and inform the voter that the voter may request to have the voter's application to vote by mail canceled in the manner described by Section 84.032 or come to the early voting clerk's office in person not later than the sixth day after election day to correct the defect.
(35) On page 26, line 19, strike "(b)" and substitute "(b) or (c)".
(36) On page 26, line 23, strike "(b)" and substitute "(b) or (c)".
(37) On page 30, lines 15 through 17, strike "because of a physical disability that renders the voter unable to write or see or an inability to read the language in which the ballot is written".
(38) Add the following appropriately numbered SECTION to ARTICLE 6 of the bill and renumber subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 6 accordingly:
SECTION 6.____. (a) The secretary of state shall conduct a study regarding the implementation of educational programs, including the production and publication on the secretary of state's Internet website of instructional videos, to help voters with disabilities understand how to use voting systems used in this state.
(b) Not later than December 1, 2022, the secretary of state shall submit to the standing committees of the legislature with jurisdiction over elections a report on the study required by this section.
(c) The secretary of state, using existing resources, may contract with a qualified vendor to conduct the study required by this section.
(d) This section expires December 1, 2023.
(39) On page 35, strike lines 22 through 27 and substitute the following:
(1) "Benefit" means anything reasonably regarded as a gain or advantage, including a promise or offer of employment, a political favor, or an official act of discretion, whether to a person or another party whose welfare is of interest to the person.
(2) "Vote harvesting services" means in-person interaction with one or more voters, in the physical presence of an official ballot or a ballot voted by mail, intended to deliver votes for a specific candidate or measure.
(40) On page 36, strike lines 16 through 19 and substitute the following:
(3) interactions that do not directly involve an official ballot or ballot by mail;
(4) interactions that are not conducted in-person with a voter; or
(5) activity that is not designed to deliver votes for or against a specific candidate or measure.
(41) Insert "or election official" in each of the following places:
(A) on page 37, line 4, between "official" and "commits";
(B) on page 37, lines 18-19, between "official" and "engaged";
(C) on page 37, lines 22-23, between "official" and "engaged";
(D) on page 37, line 25, between "official" and the underlined colon; and
(E) on page 38, line 23, between "official" and "may".
(42) On page 38, line 18, between "person" and "makes", insert "knowingly".
(43) On page 44, line 18, between "Procedure," and "is", insert "as effective September 1, 2021,".
(44) On page 46, line 4, strike "and".
(45) On page 46, line 5, between "86.0105(b)" and the period, insert the following:
; and
(3) Section 127.201(f)