Amend CSSB 7 (house committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTIONS to ARTICLE 2 of the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of that ARTICLE accordingly:

SECTION 2.____. Section 2.053(a), Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a)  On receipt of the certification, the governing body of the political subdivision by order or ordinance shall [may] declare each unopposed candidate elected to the office. If no election is to be held on election day by the political subdivision, a copy of the order or ordinance shall be posted on election day at each polling place used or that would have been used in the election.

SECTION 2.____. Section 2.056(c), Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

(c)  A certifying authority shall [may] declare a candidate elected to an office of the state or county government if, were the election held, only the votes cast for that candidate in the election for that office may be counted.

SECTION 2.____. Section 52.092(a), Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a)  Except as provided by Section 2.053(c) or 2.056(e), for [For] an election at which offices regularly filled at the general election for state and county officers are to appear on the ballot, the offices shall be listed in the following order:

(1)  offices of the federal government;

(2)  offices of the state government:

(A)  statewide offices;

(B)  district offices;

(3)  offices of the county government:

(A)  county offices;

(B)  precinct offices.