Bill Text: TX HB502 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relating to early voting by mail by any qualified voter and to the repeal of certain criminal offenses concerning the solicitation and distribution of an application to vote by mail.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-02-23 - Referred to Elections [HB502 Detail]

Download: Texas-2023-HB502-Introduced.html

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88R393 SGM-D
By: Meza H.B. No. 502

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to early voting by mail by any qualified voter and to the
repeal of certain criminal offenses concerning the solicitation and
distribution of an application to vote by mail.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 13.002(e), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(e) Notwithstanding Section 82.005, a [A] person who is
certified for participation in the address confidentiality program
administered by the attorney general under Subchapter B, Chapter
58, Code of Criminal Procedure, is not eligible for early voting by
mail [under Section 82.007] unless the person submits an
application under this section by personal delivery. The secretary
of state may adopt rules to implement this subsection.
SECTION 2. Section 82.005, Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 82.005. ELIGIBILITY FOR EARLY VOTING [BY PERSONAL
APPEARANCE]. Any qualified voter is eligible for early voting by
mail or personal appearance.
SECTION 3. Section 82.007, Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 82.007. PARTICIPATION IN ADDRESS CONFIDENTIALITY
PROGRAM. Notwithstanding Section 82.005, a [A] qualified voter
who, [is eligible for early voting by mail if:
[(1) the voter submitted a registration application by
personal delivery as required by Section 13.002(e); and
[(2)] at the time the voter's early voting ballot
application is submitted, [the voter] is certified for
participation in the address confidentiality program administered
by the attorney general under Subchapter B, Chapter 58, Code of
Criminal Procedure, is eligible for early voting by mail only if the
voter submitted a registration application by personal delivery as
required by Section 13.002(e).
SECTION 4. Section 84.001(a), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) To be entitled to vote an early voting ballot by mail, a
person [who is eligible for early voting] must make an application
for an early voting ballot to be voted by mail as provided by this
title.
SECTION 5. Section 84.002(a), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) An early voting ballot application must include:
(1) the applicant's name and the address at which the
applicant is registered to vote;
(1-a) the following information:
(A) the number of the applicant's driver's
license, election identification certificate, or personal
identification card issued by the Department of Public Safety;
(B) if the applicant has not been issued a number
described by Paragraph (A), the last four digits of the applicant's
social security number; or
(C) a statement by the applicant that the
applicant has not been issued a number described by Paragraph (A) or
(B);
(2) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail
by an applicant who will be absent from the applicant's [on the
ground of absence from the] county of residence on election day, the
address outside the applicant's county of residence to which the
ballot is to be mailed;
(3) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail
by an applicant who is 65 years of age or older on election day or
has a sickness or physical condition that requires the applicant to
reside in a hospital or nursing home or other long-term care
facility, or with a relative [on the ground of age or disability],
the address of the hospital, nursing home or other long-term care
facility, or retirement center, or of a person related to the
applicant within the second degree by affinity or the third degree
by consanguinity, as determined under Chapter 573, Government Code,
if the applicant is living at that address and that address is
different from the address at which the applicant is registered to
vote;
(4) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail
by an applicant who is confined [on the ground of confinement] in
jail as described by Section 84.009(a), the address of the jail or
of a person related to the applicant within the degree described by
Subdivision (3);
(5) [for an application for a ballot to be voted by
mail on any ground,] an indication of each election for which the
applicant is applying for a ballot; and
(6) [an indication of the ground of eligibility for
early voting; and
[(7)] for an application for a ballot to be voted by
mail by an applicant who is civilly committed as a sexually violent
predator under Chapter 841, Health and Safety Code, and is ordered
as a condition of civil commitment to reside in a facility operated
by or under contract with the Texas Civil Commitment Office [on the
ground of involuntary civil commitment], the address of the
facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Civil
Commitment Office or of a person related to the applicant within the
degree of consanguinity described by Subdivision (3).
SECTION 6. Section 84.009, Election Code, is amended by
amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (b) to read as
follows:
(a) This section applies only to an applicant who, at the
time the application for a ballot to be voted by mail is submitted,
is confined in jail:
(1) serving a misdemeanor sentence for a term that
ends on or after election day;
(2) pending trial after denial of bail;
(3) without bail pending an appeal of a felony
conviction; or
(4) pending trial or appeal on a bailable offense for
which release on bail before election day is unlikely.
(b) On request of the applicant, an application for a ballot
to be voted by mail [on the ground of confinement in jail] may be
submitted to the early voting clerk, at the discretion of the
authority in charge of the jail, by personal delivery by the jail
authority or by a designated subordinate of the authority.
SECTION 7. Section 84.011(a), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) The officially prescribed application form for an early
voting ballot must include:
(1) immediately preceding the signature space the
statement: "I certify that the information given in this
application is true, and I understand that giving false information
in this application is a crime.";
(2) a statement informing the applicant of the
offenses prescribed by Sections 84.003 and 84.004;
(3) spaces for entering an applicant's voter
registration number and county election precinct of registration,
with a statement informing the applicant that failure to furnish
that information does not invalidate the application;
(3-a) a space for entering the information required
under Section 84.002(a)(1-a); and
(4) on an application for a ballot to be voted by mail:
(A) a space for an applicant [applying on the
ground of absence from the county of residence] to indicate whether
the applicant will be absent from the applicant's county of
residence on election day and, if applicable, the date on or after
which the applicant can receive mail at the address outside the
county;
(B) a space for indicating the fact that an
applicant whose application is signed by a witness cannot make the
applicant's mark and a space for indicating the relationship or
lack of relationship of the witness to the applicant;
(C) a space for entering an applicant's telephone
number, with a statement informing the applicant that failure to
furnish that information does not invalidate the application;
(D) a space or box for an applicant who is 65
years of age or older on election day or has a sickness or physical
condition that requires the applicant to reside in a hospital or
nursing home or other long-term care facility, or with a relative,
[applying on the ground of age or disability] to indicate that the
address to which the ballot is to be mailed is the address of a
facility or relative described by Section 84.002(a)(3), if
applicable;
(E) a space or box for an applicant who is
confined [applying on the ground of confinement] in jail as
described by Section 84.009(a) or who is civilly committed as a
sexually violent predator under Chapter 841, Health and Safety
Code, and ordered as a condition of civil commitment to reside in a
facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Civil
Commitment Office, [involuntary civil commitment] to indicate that
the address to which the ballot is to be mailed is the address of a
relative described by Section 84.002(a)(4) or (6) [(7)], if
applicable;
(F) a space for an applicant [applying on the
ground of age or disability] to indicate if the application is an
application under Section 86.0015;
(G) spaces for entering the signature, printed
name, and residence address of any person assisting the applicant;
(H) a statement informing the applicant of the
condition prescribed by Section 81.005; and
(I) a statement informing the applicant of the
requirement prescribed by Section 86.003(c).
SECTION 8. Sections 86.001(b) and (c), Election Code, are
amended to read as follows:
(b) If the application complies with the applicable
requirements prescribed by this title [applicant is entitled to
vote an early voting ballot by mail], the clerk shall provide an
official ballot to the applicant as provided by this chapter.
(c) Except as provided by Section 86.008, if the applicant
is not entitled to vote in the election [by mail], the clerk shall
reject the application, enter on the application "rejected" and the
reason for and date of rejection, and deliver written notice of the
reason for the rejection to the applicant at both the residence
address and mailing address on the application. A ballot may not be
provided to an applicant whose application is rejected.
SECTION 9. Section 86.0015(a), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) This section applies only to an application for a ballot
to be voted by mail that[:
[(1) indicates the ground of eligibility is age or
disability; and
[(2)] does not specify the election for which a ballot
is requested or has been marked by the applicant as an application
for more than one election.
SECTION 10. Section 86.003(c), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(c) The address to which the balloting materials must be
addressed is the address at which the voter is registered to vote,
or the registered mailing address if different, unless the
application to vote early by mail indicates that the voter [ground
for voting by mail is]:
(1) will be absent from the voter's [absence from the]
county of residence on election day, in which case the address must
be an address outside the voter's county of residence;
(2) is confined [confinement] in jail as described by
Section 84.009(a), in which case the address must be the address of
the jail or of a relative described by Section 84.002(a)(4);
(3) is 65 years of age or older on election day or has a
sickness or physical condition that requires the applicant to
reside in a hospital or nursing home or other long-term care
facility, or with a relative, [age or disability] and [the voter] is
living at a hospital, nursing home or other long-term care
facility, or retirement center, or with a relative described by
Section 84.002(a)(3), in which case the address must be the address
of that facility or relative; or
(4) is civilly committed as a sexually violent
predator under Chapter 841, Health and Safety Code, and ordered as a
condition of civil commitment to reside in a facility operated by or
under contract with the Texas Civil Commitment Office [involuntary
civil commitment], in which case the address must be the address of
the facility or of a relative described by Section 84.002(a)(6)
[84.002(a)(7)].
SECTION 11. Section 86.004(b), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(b) For an election to which Section 101.104 applies, the
balloting materials for a voter who indicates on the application
for a ballot to be voted by mail or the federal postcard application
that the voter seeks [is eligible] to vote early by mail as a
consequence of the voter's being outside the United States shall be
mailed on or before the later of the 45th day before election day or
the seventh calendar day after the date the clerk receives the
application. However, if it is not possible to mail the ballots by
the deadline of the 45th day before election day, the clerk shall
notify the secretary of state within 24 hours of knowing that the
deadline will not be met. The secretary of state shall monitor the
situation and advise the clerk, who shall mail the ballots as soon
as possible in accordance with the secretary of state's guidelines.
SECTION 12. Section 87.041(b), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(b) A ballot may be accepted only if:
(1) the carrier envelope certificate is properly
executed;
(2) neither the voter's signature on the ballot
application nor the signature on the carrier envelope certificate
is determined to have been executed by a person other than the
voter, unless signed by a witness;
(3) [the voter's ballot application states a legal
ground for early voting by mail;
[(4)] the voter is registered to vote, if registration
is required by law;
(4) [(5) the address to which the ballot was mailed
to the voter, as indicated by the application, was outside the
voter's county of residence, if the ground for early voting is
absence from the county of residence;
[(6)] for a voter to whom a statement of residence form
was required to be sent under Section 86.002(a), the statement of
residence is returned in the carrier envelope and indicates that
the voter satisfies the residence requirements prescribed by
Section 63.0011;
(5) [(7)] the address to which the ballot was mailed
to the voter is an address [that is otherwise] required by Sections
84.002 and 86.003; and
(6) [(8)] the information required under Section
86.002(g) provided by the voter identifies the same voter
identified on the voter's application for voter registration under
Section 13.002(c)(8).
SECTION 13. Section 102.001(a), Election Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(a) A qualified voter is eligible to vote a late ballot as
provided by this chapter if the voter has a sickness or physical
condition [described by Section 82.002] that prevents the voter
from appearing at the polling place on election day without a
likelihood of needing personal assistance or of injuring the
voter's health and originates on or after the day before the last
day for submitting an application for a ballot to be voted by mail.
SECTION 14. The following provisions of the Election Code
are repealed:
(1) Section 82.001;
(2) Section 82.002;
(3) Section 82.003;
(4) Section 82.004;
(5) Section 82.008;
(6) Sections 84.002(b) and (c);
(7) Section 84.0111;
(8) Section 112.002(b);
(9) Section 276.016; and
(10) Section 276.017.
SECTION 15. The changes in law made by this Act apply only
to an election ordered on or after September 1, 2023.
SECTION 16. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.