87R10932 TSS-D
 
  By: Creighton S.B. No. 1509
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to identification requirements for early voting by mail;
  providing a penalty.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 84.002, Election Code, is amended by
  amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (c), (d), (e), and
  (f) to read as follows:
         (a)  An early voting ballot application must include:
               (1)  the applicant's name and the address at which the
  applicant is registered to vote;
               (1-a)  a legible photograph or copy of:
                     (A)  one form of photo identification listed in
  Section 63.0101(a); or
                     (B)  one form of identification listed in Section
  63.0101(b) accompanied by a declaration of reasonable impediment as
  described in Section 63.001(i);
               (1-b)  the last four digits of the applicant's social
  security number or a statement that the applicant has not been
  issued a social security number;
               (2)  for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail
  on the ground of absence from the county of residence, the address
  outside the applicant's county of residence to which the ballot is
  to be mailed;
               (3)  for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail
  on the ground of age or disability, the address of the hospital,
  nursing home or other long-term care facility, or retirement
  center, or of a person related to the applicant within the second
  degree by affinity or the third degree by consanguinity, as
  determined under Chapter 573, Government Code, if the applicant is
  living at that address and that address is different from the
  address at which the applicant is registered to vote;
               (4)  for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail
  on the ground of confinement in jail, the address of the jail or of a
  person related to the applicant within the degree described by
  Subdivision (3);
               (5)  for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail
  on any ground, an indication of each election for which the
  applicant is applying for a ballot; and
               (6)  an indication of the ground of eligibility for
  early voting.
         (c)  If the requirement for identification prescribed by
  Subsection (a)(1-a) is not met, the voter may be provided an
  official ballot under Chapter 86 if the voter executes an affidavit
  declaring the voter cannot obtain identification due to a religious
  objection or an emergency. The affidavit must be in the same form as
  an affidavit used for a provisional ballot under Section
  65.054(b)(2)(B) or (C).
         (d)  A person is subject to prosecution for perjury under
  Chapter 37, Penal Code, or Section 63.0013 for a false statement or
  false information on a document executed under this section.
         (e)  Section 63.0101(c) applies to documentation provided
  under this section.
         (f)  A legible photograph or copy of solely the side of a
  driver's license, election identification certificate, or personal
  identification card issued to a person by the Department of Public
  Safety displaying the person's photograph is sufficient to meet the
  requirement for identification prescribed by Subsection
  (a)(1-a)(A).
         SECTION 2.  Section 84.011(a), Election Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (a)  The officially prescribed application form for an early
  voting ballot must include:
               (1)  immediately preceding the signature space the
  statement: "I certify that the information given in this
  application is true, and I understand that giving false information
  in this application is a crime.";
               (2)  a statement informing the applicant of the
  offenses prescribed by Sections 84.003 and 84.004;
               (3)  spaces for entering an applicant's voter
  registration number and county election precinct of registration,
  with a statement informing the applicant that failure to furnish
  that information does not invalidate the application; [and]
               (4)  on an application for a ballot to be voted by mail:
                     (A)  a space for an applicant applying on the
  ground of absence from the county of residence to indicate the date
  on or after which the applicant can receive mail at the address
  outside the county;
                     (B)  a space for indicating the fact that an
  applicant whose application is signed by a witness cannot make the
  applicant's mark and a space for indicating the relationship or
  lack of relationship of the witness to the applicant;
                     (C)  a space for entering an applicant's telephone
  number, with a statement informing the applicant that failure to
  furnish that information does not invalidate the application;
                     (D)  a space or box for an applicant applying on
  the ground of age or disability to indicate that the address to
  which the ballot is to be mailed is the address of a facility or
  relative described by Section 84.002(a)(3), if applicable;
                     (E)  a space or box for an applicant applying on
  the ground of confinement in jail to indicate that the address to
  which the ballot is to be mailed is the address of a relative
  described by Section 84.002(a)(4), if applicable;
                     (F)  a space for an applicant applying on the
  ground of age or disability to indicate if the application is an
  application under Section 86.0015;
                     (G)  spaces for entering the signature, printed
  name, and residence address of any person assisting the applicant;
                     (H)  a statement informing the applicant of the
  condition prescribed by Section 81.005; [and]
                     (I)  a statement informing the applicant of the
  requirement prescribed by Section 86.003(c); and
                     (J)  a statement informing the applicant of the
  requirement that the applicant include:
                           (i)  a legible photograph or copy of
  identification described by Section 84.002(a)(1-a); and
                           (ii)  the last four digits of the applicant's
  social security number or a statement that the applicant has not
  been issued a social security number under Section 84.002(a)(1-b);
  and
               (5)  any forms that may be required to meet the
  identification requirements of Section 84.002.
         SECTION 3.  Section 86.001, Election Code, is amended by
  adding Subsections (f) and (f-1) to read as follows:
         (f)  If the application does not include a legible photograph
  or copy of one form of photo identification listed in Section
  63.0101(a), one form of identification listed in Section 63.0101(b)
  accompanied by a declaration of reasonable impediment, or an
  affidavit of religious objection or emergency under Section
  84.002(c), the clerk shall reject the application.
         (f-1)  If the applicant does not include the last four digits
  of the applicant's social security number or a statement that the
  applicant has not been issued a social security number, the clerk
  shall reject the application.
         SECTION 4.  Section 86.002, Election Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (g) to read as follows:
         (g)  A ballot provided under this chapter must include a
  space for the voter to enter the following information:
               (1)  the voter's Texas driver's license number or the
  number of a personal identification card issued by the Department
  of Public Safety;
               (2)  if the voter has not been issued a number described
  by Subdivision (1), the last four digits of the voter's social
  security number; or
               (3)  a statement by the voter that the voter has not
  been issued a number described by Subdivision (1) or (2).
         SECTION 5.  Section 87.041, Election Code, is amended by
  amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (b-1) to read as
  follows:
         (b)  A ballot may be accepted only if:
               (1)  the carrier envelope certificate is properly
  executed;
               (2)  neither the voter's signature on the ballot
  application nor the signature on the carrier envelope certificate
  is determined to have been executed by a person other than the
  voter, unless signed by a witness;
               (3)  the voter's ballot application states a legal
  ground for early voting by mail;
               (4)  the voter is registered to vote, if registration
  is required by law;
               (5)  the address to which the ballot was mailed to the
  voter, as indicated by the application, was outside the voter's
  county of residence, if the ground for early voting is absence from
  the county of residence;
               (6)  for a voter to whom a statement of residence form
  was required to be sent under Section 86.002(a), the statement of
  residence is returned in the carrier envelope and indicates that
  the voter satisfies the residence requirements prescribed by
  Section 63.0011; [and]
               (7)  the address to which the ballot was mailed to the
  voter is an address that is otherwise required by Sections 84.002
  and 86.003; and
               (8)  the voter has provided the information required
  under Section 86.002(g) and the board is able to verify the identity
  of the voter with that information.
         (b-1)  Before a ballot voted by mail on which is included a
  statement under Section 86.002(g)(3) may be accepted, the board
  shall verify that the voter did not include a driver's license
  number or number of a personal identification card issued by the
  Department of Public Safety or the last four digits of the voter's
  social security number with the voter's early voting ballot
  application.  If the information was provided with the voter's
  early voting ballot application, the board may not accept the
  ballot.
         SECTION 6.  The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
  an application to vote an early voting ballot by mail submitted on
  or after the effective date of this Act. An application to vote an
  early voting ballot by mail submitted before the effective date of
  this Act is governed by the law in effect when the application was
  submitted, and the former law is continued in effect for that
  purpose.
         SECTION 7.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.