| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
| |
|
|
relating to verification of the accuracy of voter registration |
|
|
applications and voter registration lists. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 18.068, Election Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 18.068. COMPARISON OF INFORMATION REGARDING |
|
|
INELIGIBILITY. (a) The secretary of state shall quarterly compare |
|
|
the information received under Section 16.001 of this code and |
|
|
Section 62.113, Government Code, to the statewide computerized |
|
|
voter registration list. |
|
|
(a-1) The secretary of state shall enter into an agreement |
|
|
with the Department of Public Safety under which information in the |
|
|
statewide computerized voter registration list is compared against |
|
|
information in the database of the Department of Public Safety on a |
|
|
monthly basis to verify the accuracy of information provided on |
|
|
voter registration applications. The information compared must |
|
|
include, at a minimum, a voter's: |
|
|
(1) full legal name; |
|
|
(2) former name, if applicable; |
|
|
(3) date of birth; |
|
|
(4) residence address; |
|
|
(5) driver's license or state identification card |
|
|
number; |
|
|
(6) signature; |
|
|
(7) social security number; |
|
|
(8) documentation of lawful presence in this state; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(9) citizenship status. |
|
|
(a-2) If the secretary determines from information received |
|
|
under Subsection (a) or (a-1) that a voter on the registration list |
|
|
may be ineligible to vote [is deceased or has been excused or |
|
|
disqualified from jury service because the voter is not a citizen], |
|
|
the secretary shall send notice of the determination to the voter |
|
|
registrar of the counties considered appropriate by the secretary. |
|
|
(b) The secretary of state shall by rule determine what |
|
|
information combinations identified as common to a voter and to an |
|
|
individual who is deceased or ineligible to vote constitute a weak |
|
|
match or a strong match in order to: |
|
|
(1) produce the least possible impact on Texas voters; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(2) fulfill its responsibility to manage the voter |
|
|
rolls. |
|
|
(c) The secretary of state may not determine that a voter is |
|
|
deceased or ineligible to vote based on a weak match. The |
|
|
secretary of state may inform the county of the voter's residence |
|
|
that a weak match exists. |
|
|
(d) On receiving notification from the secretary of state |
|
|
under Subsection (c) that a weak match of identifying information |
|
|
exists for a county voter and an individual who is deceased or |
|
|
ineligible to vote, the county shall investigate whether the voter |
|
|
is that [the] individual [who is deceased]. |
|
|
(e) The secretary of state may determine that a voter is |
|
|
deceased or ineligible to vote based on a strong match. |
|
|
(f) The secretary of state may obtain, for purposes of |
|
|
determining whether a voter is deceased or ineligible to vote, |
|
|
information from other state agency databases relating to a voter |
|
|
that is the same type of information that the secretary of state or |
|
|
a voter registrar collects or stores for voter registration |
|
|
purposes. |
|
|
(g) Not later than December 31 of each year, the secretary |
|
|
of state shall provide a report to the legislature of the number of |
|
|
voters determined to be ineligible under this section during the |
|
|
calendar year. The report must include the reason for |
|
|
ineligibility for each voter. |
|
|
SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
|
|
an application to register to vote submitted on or after the |
|
|
effective date of this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
|
|
|
|
|
* * * * * |