By: Wilson, Bucy H.B. No. 5180

(Senate Sponsor - Hughes)

(In the Senate - Received from the House May 8, 2023; May 9, 2023, read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs; May 17, 2023, reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0; May 17, 2023, sent to printer.) Click here to see the committee vote

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 5180 By: Hughes

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the public inspection of election records.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 1.012, Election Code, is amended by amending Subsection (e) and adding Subsections (f), (g), and (h) to read as follows:

(e) Except as provided by Subsections (f) and (g), an [An] election record shall be available not later than the 15th day after election day in an electronic format for a fee of not more than $50.

(f) Beginning on the first day after the date the final canvass of an election is completed, the general custodian of election records shall make available for public inspection election records that are:

(1) images of voted ballots, if a county maintains images of voted ballots; or

(2) cast vote records.

(g) Beginning on the 61st day after election day, the general custodian of election records shall make available for public inspection election records that are original voted ballots.

(h) The custodian shall adopt procedures to ensure the redaction of any personally identifiable information of the voter contained on a ballot before making the voted ballot available for public inspection.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.

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