TITLE: Relating to renewing the application to receive ballots to be voted by mail for certain elections held during a calendar year.

SUMMARY: Relating to renewing the application to receive ballots to be voted by mail for certain elections held during a calendar year.

FULL TEXT:
AN ACT relating to renewing the application to receive ballots to be voted by mail for certain elections held during a calendar year. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 86.0015, Election Code, is amended by adding Subsections (g) and (h) to read as follows: (g) The county clerk shall provide to a voter who has applied for and qualifies to receive ballots to be voted by mail under this section, with the ballot for an election held on the November uniform election date of an even-numbered year, an application for a ballot to be voted by mail and instructions for submitting the application under this subsection. The application: (1) must be preprinted so that the voter is required only to: (A) sign and date the application; and (B) indicate in which political party's primary election the voter seeks to vote or indicate that the voter does not want to receive a primary election ballot; (2) may be returned with the voter's ballot in the carrier envelope; (3) applies to each election that occurs before December 31 of the next even-numbered year following the November election, notwithstanding Subsection (b)(2)(A); (4) must be signed by the applicant, or by a witness as provided by Section 84.003; and (5) must be on a form prescribed by the secretary of state. (h) The secretary of state shall prescribe an application form and instructions under Subsection (g) required for use by each county. SECTION 2. Section 87.043, Election Code, is amended by adding Subsection (e) to read as follows: (e) After the final canvass for an election held on the November uniform election date of an even-numbered year, the early voting ballot board shall determine whether an application provided to the voter under Section 86.0015(g) is stored in an envelope with or otherwise included with a rejected ballot. The early voting ballot board shall deliver to the early voting clerk any early voting applications described by this subsection. SECTION 3. Section 87.044, Election Code, is amended by adding Subsection (c) to read as follows: (c) The early voting ballot board shall deliver to the early voting clerk any early voting applications included as provided by Section 86.0015(g) in a carrier envelope with a ballot voted in an election held on the November uniform election date of an even-numbered year regardless of whether the ballot is accepted. SECTION 4. 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.