HBA-CMT C.S.H.B. 2925 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 2925
By: Jones, Jesse
Elections
4/9/2001
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, the Election Code requires a deputy registrar to issue to a
person a receipt on completing an application for voter registration.  In
some cases, an eligible applicant does not receive a voter registration
certificate by the election date.  Without the certificate, some election
judges may not allow the individual to vote since the receipt is not
recognized as an official document.  C.S.H.B. 2925 reforms the receipt
process and requires an election judge in certain situations to accept the
receipt as an official document in place of a voter registration
certificate. 

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

C.S.H.B 2925 amends the Election Code to require a volunteer deputy
registrar to prepare a voter application receipt in triplicate rather than
duplicate on a form furnished by the registrar, when the application is
received.  The bill sets forth information that must be contained on the
receipt.  The bill requires the voluntary deputy to retain one copy of the
receipt and deliver the remaining copy to the registrar with the
registration application.   

The bill provides that a voter who is not on the precinct list of
registered voters but presents a receipt of an application to register to
vote is required to be accepted for voting if the application was made at
least 30 days but not more than 90 days before the date of the election,
the address indicated on the receipt indicates that the voter is a resident
of the precinct, the voter completes a voter registration application at a
polling place, and the election judge reviews the voter registration
application.   

The bill provides that a voter who presents a receipt of an application to
register to vote and whose name is on a list of registered voters for the
precinct in which the voter is offering to vote is required to be accepted
for voting if the application was made at least 30 days but not more than
90 days before the date of the election, and the address indicated on the
receipt indicates that the voter is a resident of the precinct in which the
voter is offering to vote or is otherwise entitled by law to vote in that
precinct.   

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 2925 modifies the original by adding that a voter who presents a
receipt of an application to register to vote is only required to be
accepted for voting if the application was made not more than 90 days
before the date of the election.  The substitute adds that a voter who
presents a receipt of an application to register to vote and whose name is
not on a list of registered voters for the precinct in which  the voter is
offering to vote is required to be accepted for voting if the voter
completes a voter registration application at the polling place that is
reviewed by the election judge.