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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to procedures for challenging voter registration based on |
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personal knowledge and publicly available records. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Chapter 16, Election Code, is amended by adding |
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Section 16.0011 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 16.0011. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: |
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(1) "Personal knowledge" means knowledge of a fact |
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that a person has directly observed or experienced, rather than |
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knowledge that has been gained from another source, as defined in |
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Black's Law Dictionary. |
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(2) "Publicly available materials" means information |
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accessible to the general public, including but not limited to |
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obituaries, property records, court filings, government-maintained |
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public databases, and official government notices, that provide |
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evidence relevant to a voter's eligibility under this code. |
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SECTION 2. Section 16.091, Election Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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Sec. 16.091. CHALLENGE OF REGISTRATION. (a) A registered |
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voter of the county in which another voter is registered may |
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challenge the registration of that voter by submitting a written |
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statement to the registrar. The statement must: |
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(1) identify each voter being challenged; |
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(2) include the specific grounds for each challenge; |
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(3) be based on: |
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(A) the personal knowledge of the challenger, as |
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defined under Section 16.0011(1); or |
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(B) information derived from publicly available |
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materials, as defined under Section 16.0011(2); |
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and |
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(4) be accompanied by an affidavit executed by the |
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challenger under penalty of perjury, affirming that the challenge |
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is based on personal knowledge or publicly available materials and |
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not hearsay or speculative evidence. |
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(b) A challenger may submit multiple challenges under one |
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affidavit, provided that each challenge independently satisfies |
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the requirements of Subsection (a). |
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SECTION 3. Section 16.092, Election Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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Sec. 16.092. SWORN STATEMENT REQUIRED. (a) A challenge |
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under this subchapter must be made in writing and must: |
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(1) identify each voter being challenged; |
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(2) include the specific grounds for each challenge; |
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(3) be based on: |
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(A) the personal knowledge of the challenger, as |
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defined under Section 16.0011(1); or |
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(B) information derived from publicly available |
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materials, as defined under Section 16.0011(2); |
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and |
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(4) be accompanied by an affidavit executed by the |
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challenger under penalty of perjury, affirming that the challenge |
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is based on personal knowledge or publicly available materials and |
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not hearsay or speculative evidence. |
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(b) A challenger may submit multiple challenges under one |
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affidavit, provided that each challenge independently satisfies |
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the requirements of Subsection (a). |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |