87R5032 SGM-F
 
  By: Beckley H.B. No. 1901
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to renewing the application to receive ballots to be voted
  by mail for certain elections held during a calendar year.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 86.0015, Election Code, is amended by
  adding Subsections (g) and (h) to read as follows:
         (g)  The county clerk shall provide to a voter who has
  applied for and qualifies to receive ballots to be voted by mail
  under this section, with the ballot for an election held on the
  November uniform election date of an even-numbered year, an
  application for a ballot to be voted by mail and instructions for
  submitting the application under this subsection. The application:
               (1)  must be preprinted so that the voter is required
  only to:
                     (A)  sign and date the application; and
                     (B)  indicate in which political party's primary
  election the voter seeks to vote or indicate that the voter does not
  want to receive a primary election ballot;
               (2)  may be returned with the voter's ballot in the
  carrier envelope;
               (3)  applies to each election that occurs before
  December 31 of the next even-numbered year following the November
  election, notwithstanding Subsection (b)(2)(A);
               (4)  must be signed by the applicant, or by a witness as
  provided by Section 84.003; and
               (5)  must be on a form prescribed by the secretary of
  state.
         (h)  The secretary of state shall prescribe an application
  form and instructions under Subsection (g) required for use by each
  county.
         SECTION 2.  Section 87.043, Election Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:
         (e)  After the final canvass for an election held on the
  November uniform election date of an even-numbered year, the early
  voting ballot board shall determine whether an application provided
  to the voter under Section 86.0015(g) is stored in an envelope with
  or otherwise included with a rejected ballot. The early voting
  ballot board shall deliver to the early voting clerk any early
  voting applications described by this subsection.
         SECTION 3.  Section 87.044, Election Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
         (c)  The early voting ballot board shall deliver to the early
  voting clerk any early voting applications included as provided by
  Section 86.0015(g) in a carrier envelope with a ballot voted in an
  election held on the November uniform election date of an
  even-numbered year regardless of whether the ballot is accepted.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2021.