Bill Text: TX HB1502 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Engrossed
Bill Title: Relating to allowing military voters on active duty overseas to receive and cast a ballot electronically.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 5)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2011-05-09 - Referred to State Affairs [HB1502 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HB1502-Engrossed.html
| By: White, Torres, et al. | H.B. No. 1502 | |
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| relating to allowing military voters on active duty overseas to | ||
| receive and cast a ballot electronically. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Chapter 101, Election Code, is amended by adding | ||
| Section 101.0072 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 101.0072. ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF BALLOTS TO AND | ||
| FROM OVERSEAS MILITARY PERSONNEL. (a) The secretary of state shall | ||
| prescribe procedures to allow the electronic transmission of | ||
| balloting materials to, and the electronic transmission of a voted | ||
| ballot by, a member of the armed forces of the United States who is | ||
| on active duty overseas in a combat zone for the general primary | ||
| election, a runoff primary election, or the general election for | ||
| state and county officers. | ||
| (b) The procedures must: | ||
| (1) require that the early voting clerk of a county | ||
| send balloting materials to an e-mail address in a form and manner | ||
| prescribed by the secretary of state if the voter: | ||
| (A) is an FPCA registrant and is eligible for | ||
| early voting by mail under Sections 101.001(1) and (2)(A); | ||
| (B) provides a current address that is located | ||
| outside the United States and is voting from outside the United | ||
| States; | ||
| (C) provides an e-mail address that contains the | ||
| voter's name and the suffix ".mil"; and | ||
| (D) requests that balloting materials be sent by | ||
| electronic transmission; | ||
| (2) provide for the verification of the voter; | ||
| (3) provide for the security of the transmission by | ||
| having the balloting materials returned to the secretary of state | ||
| for redistribution; and | ||
| (4) require the early voting clerk to maintain a | ||
| record of each ballot received under this section. | ||
| (c) An e-mail address provided under this section is | ||
| confidential and does not constitute public information for | ||
| purposes of Chapter 552, Government Code. The early voting clerk | ||
| shall ensure that an e-mail address provided under this section is | ||
| excluded from disclosure. | ||
| (d) If a voter returns both a voted ballot mailed to the | ||
| voter under Section 101.007(a) and a voted ballot transmitted | ||
| electronically under this section, only the ballot that was | ||
| transmitted electronically may be counted. | ||
| (e) The secretary of state may adopt rules as necessary to | ||
| implement this section. | ||
| SECTION 2. Section 105.001, Election Code, is repealed. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011. | ||
