HBA-LCA H.B. 1825 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1825 By: Hochberg Public Education 4/10/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, all elections in Texas are conducted at polls. While early voting is available, anyone not voting absentee must go to a poll to cast a vote. The State of Oregon has conducted elections by mail for several years, and has seen a significant decrease in the cost of conducting an election by mail, rather than at polls. H.B. 1825 establishes a pilot program, under the Office of the Secretary of State, to conduct elections by mail. The pilot program, which has been applied successfully in the State of Oregon, may reduce the cost of administering a poll election, while maintaining a low incidence of fraud. The pilot program established under this bill requires the use of a signature identification envelope, which provides for comparison with the signature on a voter's registration card. The pilot program will use a school district election as a model. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill is expressly delegated to the secretary of state in SECTION 1 of this bill. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. (a) Sets forth the required procedures under which the secretary of state is required, by rule, to conduct a mail ballot election pilot program. (b) Authorizes the secretary of state to modify provisions of the Election Code to allow for the mail ballot election. Prohibits the secretary of state from allowing a ballot to be cast any later than current law provides. (c) Requires the secretary of state, between the conclusion of the election and the first day of the regular session of the 77th Legislature, to file a report evaluating the use of the mail ballot election with the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives. Provides that the report must include a comparison of costs and turnout between a mail ballot and a regular election, and that it identify any problems occurring with a mail ballot election. Requires the secretary of state to recommend whether mail ballot elections should be used in the future, and how the mail ballot elections should be implemented. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.