BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 747

By: Hughes

Elections

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Under current law, if a candidate in a primary runoff election withdraws from the runoff, the remaining candidate is the nominee and the runoff election for that office is not held. When this occurs, voters who may have voted for the withdrawing candidate should have the opportunity to chose between the other candidates with the remaining highest number of votes. S.B. 747 seeks to address this issue by revising current law regarding a candidate's withdrawal from a runoff primary election.  

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 747 amends the Election Code to extend the deadline for a candidate to withdraw from a runoff primary election from 5 p.m. on the 3rd day after the state canvass to 5 p.m. on the fifth day after the last day on which the state canvass may be conducted for the general primary election. The bill entitles the candidate who received the third highest number of votes in the general primary election to a place on the runoff ballot if the runoff candidate who received the most votes cast withdraws from the election on or before that deadline. The bill's provisions apply only to an election ordered on or after the bill's effective date.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2023.