Bill Text: TX SB477 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Enrolled

---

Bill Title: Relating to accommodating voters with a disability.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5)

Status: (Passed) 2023-06-18 - Effective immediately [SB477 Detail]

Download: Texas-2023-SB477-Enrolled.html

---

S.B. No. 477

AN ACT
relating to accommodating voters with a disability.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 63.0015, Election Code, is amended by
amending Subsections (b), (c), and (d) and adding Subsection (f) to
read as follows:
(b) An election officer shall [may] accept a person with a
mobility problem that substantially impairs a person's ability to
ambulate who is offering to vote before accepting others offering
to vote at the polling place who arrived before the person.
(c) Notice of the priority given to persons with a mobility
problem that substantially impairs a person's ability to ambulate
shall be posted:
(1) at [one or more locations in] each entrance to a
polling place where it can be read by persons waiting to vote;
(2) on the Internet website of the secretary of state;
and
(3) on each Internet website relating to elections
maintained by a county.
(d) The notice required by Subsection (c) must read:
"Pursuant to Section 63.0015, Election Code, an election officer
shall [may] give voting order priority to individuals with a
mobility problem that substantially impairs the person's ability to
move around. A person assisting an individual with a mobility
problem may also, at the individual's request, be given voting
order priority. Disabilities and conditions that may qualify you
for voting order priority include paralysis, lung disease, the use
of portable oxygen, cardiac deficiency, severe limitation in the
ability to walk due to arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic
condition, wheelchair confinement, arthritis, foot disorder, the
inability to walk 200 feet without stopping to rest, or use of a
brace, cane, crutch, or other assistive device."
(f) All procedures and accommodations available for voters
with disabilities, including voting under Section 64.009, shall be
posted in an accessible manner on the county clerk's Internet
website.
SECTION 2. Section 64.009, Election Code, is amended by
adding Subsections (a-1) and (a-2) to read as follows:
(a-1) At each polling place an area for parking not smaller
than the size of one parking space shall be reserved for voting
under this section. The area may not be designated specifically for
persons with disabilities. The area must be clearly marked with a
sign:
(1) indicating that the space is reserved for use by a
voter who is unable to enter the polling place; and
(2) displaying, in large font that is clearly readable
from a vehicle, a telephone number that a voter may call or text to
request assistance from an election officer at the polling place.
(a-2) As an alternative to displaying a telephone number
under Subsection (a-1)(2), a parking space may comply with the
requirements of this section by providing the voter with a button or
intercom that the voter may use to request assistance from an
election officer.
SECTION 3. Subchapter A, Chapter 84, Election Code, is
amended by adding Section 84.0121 to read as follows:
Sec. 84.0121. CLERK TO POST APPLICATION FORM ONLINE. (a)
The early voting clerk shall post the official application form for
an early voting ballot on the clerk's Internet website, if the clerk
maintains an Internet website, in a format that allows a person to
easily complete the application directly on the website before
printing.
(b) The early voting clerk may use the application form
provided by the secretary of state under Section 84.013 or the early
voting clerk's own application form.
SECTION 4. Section 84.013, Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 84.013. APPLICATION FORMS FURNISHED BY SECRETARY OF
STATE. (a) The secretary of state shall maintain a supply of the
official application forms for ballots to be voted by mail and shall
furnish the forms in reasonable quantities without charge to
individuals or organizations requesting them for distribution to
voters.
(b) The secretary of state shall provide a printable
application for a ballot by mail in a format that complies with
Section 84.0121(a) to the early voting clerk for use under that
section.
SECTION 5. Section 104.004(e), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(e) If the voter is physically unable to enter the early
voting polling place without personal assistance or a likelihood of
injuring the voter's health, the clerk shall deliver the balloting
materials to the voter at the polling place entrance or curb
following the procedures prescribed by Section 64.009.
SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2023.
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 477 passed the Senate on
April 12, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 29, Nays 2; and that
the Senate concurred in House amendments on May 25, 2023, by the
following vote: Yeas 29, Nays 2.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 477 passed the House, with
amendments, on May 23, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 109,
Nays 25, four present not voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
Approved:
______________________________
Date
______________________________
Governor