Bill Text: TX HB2722 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Engrossed
Bill Title: Relating to early voting by certain persons who have an employment hardship.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2017-05-12 - Referred to State Affairs [HB2722 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HB2722-Engrossed.html
| By: Phillips, Guillen | H.B. No. 2722 | |
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| relating to early voting by certain persons who have an employment | ||
| hardship. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 7, Election Code, is amended by | ||
| adding Chapter 107 to read as follows: | ||
| CHAPTER 107. EARLY VOTING BY PERSON IN SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCE | ||
| Sec. 107.001. APPLICABILITY. This chapter applies only to | ||
| a voter whose occupation causes a hardship for the voter to appear | ||
| at the polling place on election day because the voter is employed: | ||
| (1) in an occupation that causes the voter to be | ||
| working periodically offshore; | ||
| (2) as a truck driver whose routes routinely take the | ||
| voter more than 200 miles from home; | ||
| (3) in an occupation that is likely to require the | ||
| voter to be overseas on election day; or | ||
| (4) as the permanent caretaker of a person who has a | ||
| disability and the voter's presence is necessary to protect the | ||
| life or safety of the person who has a disability and will prevent | ||
| the caretaker from appearing at the polling place on election day. | ||
| Sec. 107.002. FORM AND CONTENTS OF APPLICATION. (a) The | ||
| secretary of state shall prescribe a unique application for a | ||
| ballot to be voted under this chapter that must include, in addition | ||
| to the information required by the applicable provisions of Section | ||
| 84.002: | ||
| (1) for an applicant to whom this chapter applies | ||
| under Section 107.001(1), (2), or (3), an affidavit certifying the | ||
| applicant is employed in an occupation that causes a hardship for | ||
| voting, signed by the applicant and the applicant's employer or | ||
| contracting entity, and | ||
| the address of the applicant's employer or | ||
| of a person related to the applicant within the second degree by | ||
| affinity or the third degree by consanguinity, as determined under | ||
| Chapter 573, Government Code, if that address is different from the | ||
| address at which the applicant is registered to vote; or | ||
| (2) for an applicant to whom this chapter applies | ||
| under Section 107.001(4), be in the form of an affidavit and include | ||
| a certificate of a licensed physician, licensed chiropractor, or | ||
| accredited Christian Science practitioner in substantially the | ||
| following form: | ||
| "This is to certify that I know that (insert name of voter) is | ||
| the caretaker of a person with a sickness or physical condition that | ||
| requires the caretaker's presence to protect the life or safety of | ||
| the person and that this duty will prevent (insert name of voter) | ||
| from appearing at the polling place for an election held on (insert | ||
| date of election). | ||
| "Witness my hand at _________, Texas, this ____ day of | ||
| __________, 20__. | ||
| ______________________________________________________ | ||
| (Signature of physician, chiropractor, or practitioner)". | ||
| (b) The application must be submitted to the early voting | ||
| clerk not later than the 60th day before election day for the | ||
| applicant to be eligible to vote a ballot under this chapter. | ||
| Sec. 107.003. VOTING PROCEDURE; PROCESSING RESULTS. (a) | ||
| On submission of an application under this chapter to the early | ||
| voting clerk, the clerk shall review the application and verify the | ||
| applicant's registration status in accordance with the procedure | ||
| applicable to early voting by mail. | ||
| (b) The voting shall be conducted with the balloting | ||
| materials for early voting by mail. | ||
| (c) The address to which the balloting materials must be | ||
| addressed is the address at which the voter is registered to vote or | ||
| the address of the applicant's employer or of a person related to | ||
| the applicant within the second degree by affinity or the third | ||
| degree by consanguinity, as determined under Chapter 573, | ||
| Government Code. | ||
| (d) The voter must mark and seal the ballot in the same | ||
| manner as if early voting by mail. | ||
| (e) The results shall be processed in accordance with the | ||
| procedures applicable to processing early voting ballots voted by | ||
| mail. | ||
| (f) Section 86.0015 applies to an application for a ballot | ||
| to be voted under this chapter, notwithstanding Section 86.0015(a). | ||
| Sec. 107.004. RULES. The secretary of state shall adopt | ||
| rules to implement this chapter. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. | ||
