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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to high school deputy voter registrars. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 13.046, Election Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsections (d-1), (e-1), (e-2), |
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and (e-3) to read as follows: |
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(d) At least twice each school year, a high school deputy |
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registrar shall distribute an officially prescribed registration |
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application form to each student in the 12th grade or who is or will |
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be 18 years of age or older during that year, subject to rules |
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prescribed by the secretary of state, by hand delivery or by |
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inclusion in standard school material packets. |
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(d-1) Each public or private high school shall: |
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(1) provide access to registration application forms |
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in the school office or another public area within the school; and |
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(2) verbally or virtually notify students at the |
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beginning of the school year of the form's availability and |
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location. |
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(e-1) Each high school deputy registrar shall not later than |
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August 31 of each year submit to the secretary of state a report for |
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the preceding school year. The report must include: |
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(1) the total number of registration application forms |
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distributed under Subsection (d); |
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(2) a detailed description of the location where |
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registration application forms submitted to the high school deputy |
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registrar under Subsection (e) are kept; |
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(3) the months during which the registration |
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application forms were distributed; and |
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(4) the name of the high school deputy registrar and, |
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if different, the name of the principal. |
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(e-2) The secretary of state may redact the name or names |
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provided under Subsection (e-1)(4) from the report before providing |
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public access to the report. |
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(e-3) A public or private high school shall conduct at least |
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two voter registration drives during each school year at the |
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school's expense. The school may cooperate with the county |
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election office, nonpartisan, nonprofit voter registration |
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organizations, and nonpartisan voter registration agencies as |
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necessary to provide voter registration assistance. At least one |
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deputy registrar must attend to provide voter registration |
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application forms, assist students in completing the forms to the |
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extent permissible by law, and collect completed forms for |
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submission to the county voter registrar. Each student in the 12th |
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grade and any other student who is eligible to register to vote must |
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be allowed to attend the registration drives. The registration |
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drives must be offered during classroom instructional time or in a |
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public area of the school building. |
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SECTION 2. Section 13.047, Election Code, is amended by |
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adding Subsection (c) to read as follows: |
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(c) Each public school and open-enrollment charter school |
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shall offer in-person or virtual training developed under this |
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section at least once per year. The training shall be offered |
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during the school week and must be made available to each student, |
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school employee, parent, or local community member eligible for the |
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training. The school shall collaborate with the county in which the |
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school is located to provide the training. The school shall |
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communicate the training details virtually to all educators at the |
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school. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |