|
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
relating to requirements to vote, including presenting proof of |
|
identification; providing criminal penalties. |
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
SECTION 1. Section 15.022(a), Election Code, as amended by |
|
Chapters 123 (S.B. 14) and 1002 (H.B. 2194), Acts of the 82nd |
|
Legislature, Regular Session, 2011, is reenacted and amended to |
|
read as follows: |
|
(a) The registrar shall make the appropriate corrections in |
|
the registration records, including, if necessary, deleting a |
|
voter's name from the suspense list: |
|
(1) after receipt of a notice of a change in |
|
registration information under Section 15.021; |
|
(2) after receipt of a voter's reply to a notice of |
|
investigation given under Section 16.033; |
|
(3) after receipt of any affidavits executed under |
|
Section 63.007 [63.006], following an election; |
|
(4) after receipt of a voter's statement of residence |
|
executed under Section 63.0011; |
|
(5) before the effective date of the abolishment of a |
|
county election precinct or a change in its boundary; |
|
(6) after receipt of United States Postal Service |
|
information indicating an address reclassification; |
|
(7) after receipt of a voter's response under Section |
|
15.053; or |
|
(8) after receipt of a registration application or |
|
change of address under Chapter 20. |
|
SECTION 2. Section 32.114(a), Election Code, is amended to |
|
read as follows: |
|
(a) The county clerk shall provide one or more sessions of |
|
training using the standardized training program and materials |
|
developed and provided by the secretary of state under Section |
|
32.111 for the election judges and clerks appointed to serve in |
|
elections ordered by the governor or a county authority. Each |
|
election judge shall complete the training program. [Each election
|
|
clerk shall complete the part of the training program relating to
|
|
the acceptance and handling of the identification presented by a
|
|
voter to an election officer under Section 63.001.] |
|
SECTION 3. Sections 63.001(b), (c), (d), and (f), Election |
|
Code, are amended to read as follows: |
|
(b) On [Except as provided by Subsection (h), on] offering |
|
to vote, a voter must present the voter's voter registration |
|
certificate to an election officer at the polling place [one form of
|
|
identification described by Section 63.0101]. |
|
(c) On presentation of a registration certificate [the
|
|
documentation required under Subsection (b)], an election officer |
|
shall determine whether the voter's name on the registration |
|
certificate [documentation] is on the list of registered voters for |
|
the precinct. [If in making a determination under this subsection
|
|
the election officer determines under standards adopted by the
|
|
secretary of state that the voter's name on the documentation is
|
|
substantially similar to but does not match exactly with the name on
|
|
the list, the voter shall be accepted for voting under Subsection
|
|
(d) if the voter submits an affidavit stating that the voter is the
|
|
person on the list of registered voters.] |
|
(d) If [, as determined under Subsection (c),] the voter's |
|
name is on the precinct list of registered voters [and the voter's
|
|
identity can be verified from the documentation presented under
|
|
Subsection (b)], the voter shall be accepted for voting. |
|
(f) After determining whether to accept a voter, an election |
|
officer shall return the voter's registration certificate |
|
[documentation] to the voter. |
|
SECTION 4. Section 63.0011(a), Election Code, is amended to |
|
read as follows: |
|
(a) Before a voter may be accepted for voting, an election |
|
officer shall ask the voter if the voter's residence address on the |
|
precinct list of registered voters is current and whether the voter |
|
has changed residence within the county. If the voter's address is |
|
omitted from the precinct list under Section 18.005(c), the officer |
|
shall ask the voter if the voter's residence as [, if] listed [,] on |
|
the voter's voter registration certificate [identification
|
|
presented by the voter under Section 63.001(b)] is current and |
|
whether the voter has changed residence within the county. |
|
SECTION 5. Section 63.006, Election Code, is amended to |
|
read as follows: |
|
Sec. 63.006. VOTER WITH CORRECT CERTIFICATE [REQUIRED
|
|
DOCUMENTATION] WHO IS NOT ON LIST. (a) A voter who, when offering to |
|
vote, presents a voter registration certificate indicating that the |
|
voter is currently registered in the precinct in which the voter is |
|
offering to vote, [the documentation required under Section
|
|
63.001(b)] but whose name is not on the precinct list of registered |
|
voters, shall be accepted for voting [if the voter also presents a
|
|
voter registration certificate indicating that the voter is
|
|
currently registered:
|
|
[(1)
in the precinct in which the voter is offering to
|
|
vote; or
|
|
[(2)
in a different precinct in the same county as the
|
|
precinct in which the voter is offering to vote and the voter
|
|
executes an affidavit stating that the voter:
|
|
[(A)
is a resident of the precinct in which the
|
|
voter is offering to vote or is otherwise entitled by law to vote in
|
|
that precinct;
|
|
[(B)
was a resident of the precinct in which the
|
|
voter is offering to vote at the time the information on the voter's
|
|
residence address was last provided to the voter registrar;
|
|
[(C)
did not deliberately provide false
|
|
information to secure registration in a precinct in which the voter
|
|
does not reside; and
|
|
[(D) is voting only once in the election]. |
|
(b) After the voter is accepted, an election officer shall |
|
[:
|
|
[(1)] indicate beside the voter's name on the poll list |
|
that the voter was accepted under this section[; and
|
|
[(2)
enter the voter's name on the registration
|
|
omissions list]. |
|
SECTION 6. Chapter 63, Election Code, is amended by adding |
|
Sections 63.007 and 63.008 to read as follows: |
|
Sec. 63.007. VOTER WITH INCORRECT CERTIFICATE WHO IS NOT ON |
|
LIST. (a) A voter who, when offering to vote, presents a voter |
|
registration certificate indicating that the voter is currently |
|
registered in a different precinct from the one in which the voter |
|
is offering to vote, and whose name is not on the precinct list of |
|
registered voters, shall be accepted for voting if the voter |
|
executes an affidavit stating that the voter: |
|
(1) is a resident of the precinct in which the voter is |
|
offering to vote or is otherwise entitled by law to vote in that |
|
precinct; |
|
(2) was a resident of the precinct in which the voter |
|
is offering to vote at the time the information on the voter's |
|
residence address was last provided to the voter registrar; |
|
(3) did not deliberately provide false information to |
|
secure registration in a precinct in which the voter does not |
|
reside; and |
|
(4) is voting only once in the election. |
|
(b) After the voter is accepted, an election officer shall |
|
indicate beside the voter's name on the poll list that the voter was |
|
accepted under this section. |
|
Sec. 63.008. VOTER WITHOUT CERTIFICATE WHO IS ON LIST. (a) |
|
A voter who does not present a voter registration certificate when |
|
offering to vote, but whose name is on the list of registered voters |
|
for the precinct in which the voter is offering to vote, shall be |
|
accepted for voting if the voter executes an affidavit stating that |
|
the voter does not have the voter's voter registration certificate |
|
in the voter's possession at the polling place at the time of |
|
offering to vote and the voter presents proof of identification in a |
|
form described by Section 63.0101. |
|
(b) If the requirements prescribed by Subsection (a) are not |
|
met, the voter may be accepted for provisional voting only under |
|
Section 63.011. |
|
SECTION 7. Section 63.009, Election Code, is amended to |
|
read as follows: |
|
Sec. 63.009. VOTER WITHOUT CERTIFICATE WHO IS NOT ON LIST. |
|
(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), a [A] voter who does not |
|
present a voter registration certificate when offering to vote, and |
|
whose name is not on the list of registered voters for the precinct |
|
in which the voter is offering to vote, shall be accepted for |
|
provisional voting if the voter executes an affidavit in accordance |
|
with Section 63.011. |
|
(b) If an election officer can determine from the voter |
|
registrar that the person is a registered voter of the county and |
|
the person presents proof of identification, the affidavits |
|
required by Sections 63.007 and 63.008 are substituted for the |
|
affidavit required by Section 63.011 in complying with that |
|
section. After the voter is accepted under this subsection, an |
|
election officer shall also indicate beside the voter's name on the |
|
poll list that the voter was accepted under this section. |
|
SECTION 8. Section 63.0101, Election Code, is amended to |
|
read as follows: |
|
Sec. 63.0101. DOCUMENTATION OF PROOF OF IDENTIFICATION. |
|
The following documentation is [an] acceptable as proof [form] of |
|
[photo] identification under this chapter: |
|
(1) a driver's license[, election identification
|
|
certificate,] or personal identification card issued to the person |
|
by the Department of Public Safety or a similar document issued to |
|
the person by an agency of another state, regardless of whether the |
|
license or card [that] has [not] expired [or that expired no earlier
|
|
than 60 days before the date of presentation]; |
|
(2) a form of identification containing the person's |
|
photograph that establishes the person's identity [United States
|
|
military identification card that contains the person's photograph
|
|
that has not expired or that expired no earlier than 60 days before
|
|
the date of presentation]; |
|
(3) a birth certificate or other document confirming |
|
birth that is admissible in a court of law and establishes the |
|
person's identity; |
|
(4) United States citizenship papers [certificate
|
|
issued to the person that contains the person's photograph]; |
|
(5) [(4)] a United States passport issued to the |
|
person [that has not expired or that expired no earlier than 60 days
|
|
before the date of presentation]; |
|
(6) official mail addressed to the person by name from |
|
a governmental entity; |
|
(7) a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, |
|
government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows |
|
the name and address of the voter; or |
|
(8) any other form of identification prescribed by the |
|
secretary of state [or
|
|
[(5)
a license to carry a concealed handgun issued to
|
|
the person by the Department of Public Safety that has not expired
|
|
or that expired no earlier than 60 days before the date of
|
|
presentation]. |
|
SECTION 9. Sections 63.011(a) and (b), Election Code, are |
|
amended to read as follows: |
|
(a) A person to whom Section 63.008(b) or 63.009(a) |
|
[63.001(g) or 63.009] applies may cast a provisional ballot if the |
|
person executes an affidavit stating that the person: |
|
(1) is a registered voter in the precinct in which the |
|
person seeks to vote; and |
|
(2) is eligible to vote in the election. |
|
(b) A form for an affidavit required by this section must be |
|
printed on an envelope in which the provisional ballot voted by the |
|
person may be placed and must include[:
|
|
[(1)] a space for entering the identification number |
|
of the provisional ballot voted by the person[; and
|
|
[(2)
a space for an election officer to indicate
|
|
whether the person presented a form of identification described by
|
|
Section 63.0101]. |
|
SECTION 10. Section 64.012(b), Election Code, is amended to |
|
read as follows: |
|
(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the third |
|
[second] degree unless the person is convicted of an attempt. In |
|
that case, the offense is a Class A misdemeanor [state jail felony]. |
|
SECTION 11. Section 65.054(b), Election Code, is amended to |
|
read as follows: |
|
(b) A provisional ballot may [shall] be accepted only if the |
|
board determines that[:
|
|
[(1)] from the information in the affidavit or |
|
contained in public records, the person is eligible to vote in the |
|
election and has not previously voted in that election[;
|
|
[(2) the person:
|
|
[(A)
meets the identification requirements of
|
|
Section 63.001(b) at the time the ballot was cast or in the period
|
|
prescribed under Section 65.0541;
|
|
[(B)
notwithstanding Chapter 110, Civil Practice
|
|
and Remedies Code, executes an affidavit under penalty of perjury
|
|
that states the voter has a religious objection to being
|
|
photographed and the voter has consistently refused to be
|
|
photographed for any governmental purpose from the time the voter
|
|
has held this belief; or
|
|
[(C)
executes an affidavit under penalty of
|
|
perjury that states the voter does not have any identification
|
|
meeting the requirements of Section 63.001(b) as a result of a
|
|
natural disaster that was declared by the president of the United
|
|
States or the governor, occurred not earlier than 45 days before the
|
|
date the ballot was cast, and caused the destruction of or inability
|
|
to access the voter's identification; and
|
|
[(3)
the voter has not been challenged and voted a
|
|
provisional ballot solely because the voter did not meet the
|
|
requirements for identification prescribed by Section 63.001(b)]. |
|
SECTION 12. Section 66.0241, Election Code, as amended by |
|
Chapters 123 (S.B. 14) and 1002 (H.B. 2194), Acts of the 82nd |
|
Legislature, Regular Session, 2011, is reenacted and amended to |
|
read as follows: |
|
Sec. 66.0241. CONTENTS OF ENVELOPE NO. 4. Envelope no. 4 |
|
must contain: |
|
(1) the precinct list of registered voters; |
|
(2) the registration correction list; |
|
(3) any statements of residence executed under Section |
|
63.0011; and |
|
(4) any affidavits executed under Section 63.007 |
|
[63.006] or 63.011. |
|
SECTION 13. (a) The following sections of the Election |
|
Code are repealed: |
|
(1) Section 13.002(i); |
|
(2) Section 15.001(c); |
|
(3) Section 15.005; |
|
(4) Section 31.012; |
|
(5) Section 32.111(c); |
|
(6) Section 62.016; |
|
(7) Sections 63.001(g) and (h); |
|
(8) Section 63.0012; and |
|
(9) Section 65.0541. |
|
(b) Chapter 521A, Transportation Code, is repealed. |
|
SECTION 14. This Act takes effect immediately if it |
|
receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each |
|
house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. |
|
If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate |
|
effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |