HBA-JEK H.B. 1419 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1419 By: Jones, Jesse Elections 3/6/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The close outcomes of several recent elections suggest that a review of the current election process to determine the accuracy of voting systems may be appropriate in the near future. House Bill 1419 requires the secretary of state to conduct a study of the voting system of each county in Texas and to examine the practicality of adopting a uniform voting system. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the secretary of state in SECTION 1 of this bill. ANALYSIS House Bill 1419 requires the secretary of state to study the voting system of each county to determine whether the voting system complies with applicable standards prescribed by law. The bill provides that this study must include a statistical analysis of the number of undervotes and overvotes attributed to the use of a particular voting system. The bill also requires the secretary of state to study the effectiveness of adopting a uniform voting system to be used by counties statewide. H.B. 1419 requires the secretary of state to issue a report not later than December 1, 2002 that summarizes conclusions and recommendations for legislation. The bill requires the secretary of state to promptly deliver copies of the report to the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of representatives, and authorizes the secretary of state to adopt rules necessary to implement these provisions. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.