BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.S.B. 1862

By: Hughes

Elections

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The bill sponsor has informed the committee that while a person who relocates to Texas and applies for a driver's license can register to vote in Texas, their former state of residence may not receive notice of the new registration to remove the voter from that state's rolls. The bill sponsor has also informed the committee that since a large number of people move to Texas every year, ensuring new Texas voters provide their previous address to the voter registrar so that the previous jurisdiction can be notified will help other states keep their voter rolls clean. C.S.S.B. 1862 seeks to address this issue by providing for an interstate notification by the voter registrar of certain applicants for voter registration.

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

C.S.S.B. 1862 amends the Election Code, with respect to the required contents of a voter registration application, to change the required information regarding the applicant's former residence from the city and county in which the applicant formerly resided to the address, including the city and county, where the applicant formerly resided.

C.S.S.B. 1862 requires a voter registrar, if a voter registration application indicates the applicant's previous residence was outside of Texas, to document the applicant's full legal name, date of birth, current address of residence, and previous address of residence. The bill requires the voter registrar to compile that data and, at least once a month, submit the data to the secretary of state. The bill requires the transmitted data to include the following information for each voter:

· full legal name;

· date of birth;

· social security number, if provided;

· driver's license number, if provided;

· voter unique identifier number;

· current address of residence; and

· previous address of residence.

The bill requires the secretary of state, on a monthly basis and with that data, to notify the voter registrar with jurisdiction over the previous residence of a voter whose voter registration application indicates the applicant's previous residence was outside of Texas that the voter may be removed from that jurisdiction's voter registration list.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2025.

COMPARISON OF SENATE ENGROSSED AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.S.B. 1862 may differ from the engrossed in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the engrossed and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute replaces the requirement for a voter registrar to compile certain information regarding a voter registration applicant whose application indicates the applicant's previous residence was outside of Texas for the purpose of producing a monthly report which must be submitted to the secretary of state, as in the engrossed, with a requirement for a voter registrar to compile that data and, at least once a month, submit the data to the secretary of state.