By: Bettencourt, et al.  S.B. No. 1111
         (In the Senate - Filed March 5, 2021; March 18, 2021, read
  first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs;
  April 20, 2021, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 6,
  Nays 3; April 20, 2021, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to the residence address of a voter for purposes of a
  response to a confirmation notice sent by the voter registrar.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 1.015, Election Code, is amended by
  amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (f) to read as
  follows:
         (b)  A person may not establish residence for the purpose of
  influencing the outcome of a certain election [Residence shall be
  determined in accordance with the common-law rules, as enunciated
  by the courts of this state, except as otherwise provided by this
  code].
         (f)  A person may not establish a residence at any place the
  person has not inhabited.  A person may not designate a previous
  residence as a home and fixed place of habitation unless the person
  inhabits the place at the time of designation and intends to remain.
         SECTION 2.  Section 15.052(b), Election Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (b)  The official confirmation notice response form must:
               (1)  provide spaces for the voter to include all of the
  information that a person must include in an application to
  register to vote under Section 13.002; [and]
               (2)  describe the requirements of Section 15.054,
  provide a space for the voter to indicate if the voter is exempt
  from those requirements, and provide a space to indicate the reason
  for an exemption, if any;
               (3)  provide the definition of residence under Section
  1.015; and
               (4)  be postage prepaid and preaddressed for delivery
  to the registrar.
         SECTION 3.  Section 15.053(a), Election Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (a)  Not later than the 30th day after the date a
  confirmation notice is mailed, the voter shall submit to the
  registrar a written, signed response to the notice that confirms
  the voter's current residence.  The response must contain:
               (1)  all of the information that a person must include
  in an application to register to vote under Section 13.002;
               (2)  a sworn affirmation of the voter's current
  residence as defined by Section 1.015; and
               (3)  evidence of the voter's residence address as
  required by Section 15.054 or an indication that the voter is exempt
  from those requirements.
         SECTION 4.  Subchapter C, Chapter 15, Election Code, is
  amended by adding Section 15.054 to read as follows:
         Sec. 15.054.  DOCUMENTATION OF RESIDENCE FOR PURPOSES OF
  CONFIRMATION NOTICE RESPONSE. (a) For purposes of Section 15.053,
  a voter's residence may be documented by providing a photocopy of
  the first document, beginning with Subdivision (1) and continuing
  through Subdivision (6), in the following list that corresponds to
  the voter's residence under Section 1.015:
               (1)  a driver's license issued to the voter by the
  Department of Public Safety that has not expired or, if the voter
  has notified the department of a change of address under Section
  521.054, Transportation Code, an affidavit from the voter stating
  the new address contained in the notification;
               (2)  a personal identification card issued to the voter
  by the Department of Public Safety that has not expired or, if the
  voter has notified the department of a change of address under
  Section 521.054, Transportation Code, an affidavit from the voter
  stating the new address contained in the notification;
               (3)  a license to carry a concealed handgun issued to
  the voter by the Department of Public Safety that has not expired
  or, if the voter has notified the department of a change of address
  under Section 411.181, Government Code, an affidavit from the voter
  stating the new address contained in the notification;
               (4)  an appraisal district document showing the address
  the voter claims as a homestead in this state; 
               (5)  a utility bill addressed to the voter's residence
  address; or
               (6)  an official tax document or Texas Department of
  Motor Vehicles document showing the registration address of a
  vehicle the voter owns.
         (b)  A voter whose residence in this state has no address may
  document residence under this section by executing an affidavit
  stating that the voter's residence in this state has no address,
  providing a concise description of the location of the voter's
  residence, and delivering the affidavit to the registrar with the
  voter's response to the confirmation notice.
         (c)  The address described by Subsection (a)(4) may not be a
  commercial post office box or similar location that does not
  correspond to a residence.
         (d)  This section does not apply to:
               (1)  a voter who is a member of the armed forces of the
  United States or the spouse or a dependent of a member;
               (2)  a voter enrolled as a full-time student who lives
  on campus at an institution of higher education;
               (3)  a voter whose address is confidential under
  Subchapter C, Chapter 56, Code of Criminal Procedure;
               (4)  a federal judge, state judge, or spouse of a
  federal or state judge whose driver's license includes the street
  address of a courthouse under Section 521.121, Transportation Code;
  or
               (5)  a peace officer whose driver's license omits the
  officer's actual residence address under Section 521.1211,
  Transportation Code.
         (e)  Subsection (a)(1) does not apply to a voter who holds a
  commercial driver's license under Subchapter C, Chapter 522,
  Transportation Code.
         (f)  Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section, a
  voter enrolled as a full-time student who lives on campus at an
  institution of higher education may use the address of a post office
  box located on the campus of the institution or in a dormitory owned
  or operated by the institution to confirm the voter's residence.
         (g)  The secretary of state shall adopt rules as necessary to
  implement this section.
         SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.
 
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