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.