Honorable Bryan Hughes, Chair, Senate Committee on State Affairs
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB2232 by Hall (relating to the management of polling place locations during a continuous period for voting.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Election Code to eliminate the four-day gap between the end of early voting and election day to establish a single voting period for Texas elections. The bill would also require entities using electronic voting systems to print a tape showing that zero votes were cast on a voting machine prior to the opening of the polls and print a tape showing a summary of the results at the end of election day. In addition, the bill would require the Secretary of State to conduct a study regarding the practical effects of eliminating the gap between the
early voting period and election day.
The Secretary of State indicates it could absorb the costs associated with the bill within current
resources.
Local Government Impact
According to the Election Administrator for Cameron County, the bill could add a minimum of $20,000 in additional costs each election cycle due to extending staffing at early voting locations. Additional poll workers may be required to cover the absence of the poll workers tasked with extended early voting, and extra staff may be required to process the results, which could also result in an additional cost.
The impact to other units of local government cannot be determined at this time.