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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the eligibility of certain persons to vote early by |
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mail. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 82.003, Election Code, is repealed. |
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SECTION 2. Section 84.002(a), Election Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(a) An early voting ballot application must include: |
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(1) the applicant's name and the address at which the |
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applicant is registered to vote; |
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(1-a) the following information: |
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(A) the number of the applicant's driver's |
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license, election identification certificate, or personal |
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identification card issued by the Department of Public Safety; |
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(B) if the applicant has not been issued a number |
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described by Paragraph (A), the last four digits of the applicant's |
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social security number; or |
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(C) a statement by the applicant that the |
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applicant has not been issued a number described by Paragraph (A) or |
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(B); |
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(2) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail |
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on the ground of absence from the county of residence, the address |
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outside the applicant's county of residence to which the ballot is |
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to be mailed; |
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(3) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail |
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on the ground of [age or] disability, the address of the hospital, |
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nursing home or other long-term care facility, or retirement |
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center, or of a person related to the applicant within the second |
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degree by affinity or the third degree by consanguinity, as |
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determined under Chapter 573, Government Code, if the applicant is |
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living at that address and that address is different from the |
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address at which the applicant is registered to vote; |
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(4) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail |
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on the ground of confinement in jail, the address of the jail or of a |
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person related to the applicant within the degree described by |
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Subdivision (3); |
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(5) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail |
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on any ground, an indication of each election for which the |
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applicant is applying for a ballot; |
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(6) an indication of the ground of eligibility for |
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early voting; and |
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(7) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail |
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on the ground of involuntary civil commitment, the address of the |
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facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Civil |
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Commitment Office or of a person related to the applicant within the |
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degree of consanguinity described by Subdivision (3). |
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SECTION 3. Section 84.011(a), Election Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(a) The officially prescribed application form for an early |
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voting ballot must include: |
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(1) immediately preceding the signature space the |
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statement: "I certify that the information given in this |
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application is true, and I understand that giving false information |
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in this application is a crime."; |
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(2) a statement informing the applicant of the |
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offenses prescribed by Sections 84.003 and 84.004; |
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(3) spaces for entering an applicant's voter |
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registration number and county election precinct of registration, |
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with a statement informing the applicant that failure to furnish |
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that information does not invalidate the application; |
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(3-a) a space for entering the information required |
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under Section 84.002(a)(1-a); and |
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(4) on an application for a ballot to be voted by mail: |
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(A) a space for an applicant applying on the |
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ground of absence from the county of residence to indicate the date |
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on or after which the applicant can receive mail at the address |
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outside the county; |
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(B) a space for indicating the fact that an |
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applicant whose application is signed by a witness cannot make the |
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applicant's mark and a space for indicating the relationship or |
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lack of relationship of the witness to the applicant; |
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(C) a space for entering an applicant's telephone |
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number, with a statement informing the applicant that failure to |
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furnish that information does not invalidate the application; |
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(D) a space or box for an applicant applying on |
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the ground of [age or] disability to indicate that the address to |
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which the ballot is to be mailed is the address of a facility or |
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relative described by Section 84.002(a)(3), if applicable; |
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(E) a space or box for an applicant applying on |
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the ground of confinement in jail or involuntary civil commitment |
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to indicate that the address to which the ballot is to be mailed is |
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the address of a relative described by Section 84.002(a)(4) or (7), |
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if applicable; |
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(F) a space for an applicant applying on the |
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ground of [age or] disability to indicate if the application is an |
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application under Section 86.0015; |
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(G) spaces for entering the signature, printed |
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name, and residence address of any person assisting the applicant; |
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(H) a statement informing the applicant of the |
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condition prescribed by Section 81.005; and |
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(I) a statement informing the applicant of the |
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requirement prescribed by Section 86.003(c). |
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SECTION 4. Section 86.0015(a), Election Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(a) This section applies only to an application for a ballot |
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to be voted by mail that: |
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(1) indicates the ground of eligibility is [age or] |
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disability; and |
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(2) does not specify the election for which a ballot is |
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requested or has been marked by the applicant as an application for |
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more than one election. |
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SECTION 5. Section 86.003(c), Election Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(c) The address to which the balloting materials must be |
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addressed is the address at which the voter is registered to vote, |
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or the registered mailing address if different, unless the ground |
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for voting by mail is: |
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(1) absence from the county of residence, in which |
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case the address must be an address outside the voter's county of |
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residence; |
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(2) confinement in jail, in which case the address |
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must be the address of the jail or of a relative described by |
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Section 84.002(a)(4); |
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(3) [age or] disability and the voter is living at a |
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hospital, nursing home or other long-term care facility, or |
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retirement center, or with a relative described by Section |
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84.002(a)(3), in which case the address must be the address of that |
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facility or relative; or |
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(4) involuntary civil commitment, in which case the |
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address must be the address of the facility or of a relative |
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described by Section 84.002(a)(7). |
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SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |