| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the hours of early voting by personal appearance in |
|
|
certain counties. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 85.005, Election Code, is amended by |
|
|
amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (e) to read as |
|
|
follows: |
|
|
(a) Except as provided by this section [Subsection (c)], in |
|
|
an election in which a county clerk is the early voting clerk under |
|
|
Section 83.002, early voting by personal appearance at the main |
|
|
early voting polling place shall be conducted on each weekday of the |
|
|
early voting period that is not a legal state holiday and for a |
|
|
period of at least nine hours, except that voting may not be |
|
|
conducted earlier than 6 a.m. or later than 10 p.m. |
|
|
(e) In a county with a population of less than 70,000, early |
|
|
voting by personal appearance at the main early voting polling |
|
|
place shall be conducted on each weekday of the early voting period |
|
|
that is not a legal state holiday and for a period of at least five |
|
|
hours, except that voting may not be conducted earlier than 6 a.m. |
|
|
or later than 10 p.m. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 85.006(e), Election Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(e) In a primary election or the general election for state |
|
|
and county officers, the early voting clerk of a county with a |
|
|
population of 70,000 or more shall order voting by personal |
|
|
appearance at the main early voting polling place to be conducted on |
|
|
the last Saturday of the early voting period for at least 12 |
|
|
consecutive hours, except that voting may not be conducted earlier |
|
|
than 6 a.m. or later than 10 p.m., and on the last Sunday of the |
|
|
early voting period for at least six consecutive hours, except that |
|
|
voting may not be conducted earlier than 9 a.m. or later than 10 |
|
|
p.m. This subsection supersedes any provision of this subchapter |
|
|
to the extent of any conflict. |
|
|
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |