HBA-TBM H.B. 2302 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2302 By: Madden Elections 3/27/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Voter registration information compiled by county voter registrars and the Department of Public Safety is often duplicative, incomplete, or incorrect. In certain cases, it is possible for a registrar to be misinformed or uninformed regarding the death of a voter or an individual's eligibility to vote. Additionally, a prospective voter needs to be informed that personal data is confidential and made aware of which information requested is mandatory versus that which is optional. House Bill 2302 improves voter information collection and validation techniques and procedures. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 2302 amends the Election Code to provide that a social security number or telephone number furnished on a registration application is confidential, does not constitute public information, and is excluded from disclosure (Sec. 13.004). The bill prohibits the word "optional" from being used in the space provided for a voter registration applicant's identification information and provides that if such information is omitted, it does not affect the validity of the registration application. These provisions take effect January 1, 2002 (Sec. 13.122 and SECTION 14). The bill requires the secretary of state to prescribe a registration form that conforms to this provision on or before January 1, 2002 (SECTION 12). The bill provides that if a registrar receives information relating to a voter's death from a source that is not sanctioned by law, the registrar is required to deliver to the voter's address a written confirmation notice requesting confirmation of the voter's death (death confirmation request) (Sec. 15.051). The bill distinguishes confirmation notice requesting confirmation of a voter's correct residence from a death confirmation request and provides the required contents of a death confirmation request to be prescribed by the secretary of state on or before January 1, 2002 (Sec. 15.052 and SECTION 12). The bill sets forth provisions regarding a response to a death confirmation request by a voter who is incorrectly referenced as deceased (Sec. 15.053). The bill requires a voter registration application submitted by an applicant to an agency designated as a voter registration agency and submitted after the 34th day and before the 29th day before the date of an election in which any qualified voter of the county is eligible to vote to be delivered not later than 5 p.m. of the 29th day before the election day (Sec. 20.035). The bill amends the Election and Transportation codes to provide that, effective January 1, 2002, if a person completes a voter registration application while applying for a driver's license or identification card and the Department of Public Safety (DPS) issues a temporary license or card, DPS is required to indicate that the holder is a registered voter on the temporary license or card that is issued on or before January 1, 2002 (Sec. 20.063, Election Code, Secs. 521.101 and 521.124, Transportation Code, and SECTIONS 13 and 14). The bill requires the secretary of state to study the feasibility of developing a standardized electronic format for entering voter information relating to residence address and to report its findings and recommendations to the governor, lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of representatives not later than December 1, 2002 (SECTION 11). EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.