TITLE: Relating to the hours during which the polls are open for early voting by personal appearance.

SUMMARY: Relating to the hours during which the polls are open for early voting by personal appearance.

FULL TEXT:
AN ACT relating to the hours during which the polls are open for early voting by personal appearance. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 12.004(d), Election Code, is amended to read as follows: (d) The [If early voting by personal appearance is required to be conducted for extended hours under Section 85.005(c) or for weekend hours under Section 85.006(e), the] registrar's office shall remain open for providing voter registration information during the [extended hours or weekend] hours that the main early voting polling place is open for voting. SECTION 2. Section 85.005, Election Code, is amended by amending Subsections (a) and (c) and adding Subsection (c-1) to read as follows: (a) Except as provided by Subsection (c),(c-1), or (d),in an election in which a county clerk or city secretary is the early voting clerk under Section 83.002 or 83.005, early voting by personal appearance at the main early voting polling place shall be conducted on the weekdays of the early voting period and during the hours that the county clerk's or city secretary's main business office is regularly open for business. (c) In a county with a population of 100,000 or more but less than 500,000,the voting in a primary election or the general election for state and county officers shall be conducted at the main early voting polling place for at least 12 hours on each weekday of the last week of the early voting period, and the voting in a special election ordered by the governor shall be conducted at the main early voting polling place for at least 12 hours on each of the last two days of the early voting period. Voting shall be conducted in accordance with this subsection in those elections in a county with a population under 100,000 on receipt by the early voting clerk of a written request for the extended hours submitted by at least 15 registered voters of the county. The request must be submitted in time to enable compliance with Section 85.067. (c-1) In a county with a population of 500,000 or more, the voting in a primary election or the general election for state and county officers or a special election ordered by the governor shall be conducted at the main early voting polling place until at least 7 p.m. on each weekday of the first week of the early voting period and from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on each weekday of the remainder of the early voting period. SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to an election for which early voting begins on or after September 1, 2011. SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.