HB 1661
AN ACT relating to election supplies and the conduct of elections;
89th Regular Session
Jan 14, 2025 - Jun 2, 2025 • Session ended
Awaiting Committee Assignment
Bill filed, pending referral to House committee
Committee
Not yet assigned
Fiscal Note
Not available
What This Bill Does
This Texas bill requires election authorities to provide a sufficient number of ballots for each precinct, specifically at least 125% of the number of voters in the most recent corresponding election. The bill creates criminal penalties for election officials who intentionally fail to provide or supplement ballots, with offenses ranging from a Class A misdemeanor to a state jail felony. These new regulations aim to ensure adequate ballot availability and hold election officials accountable for proper election supply management.
Subject Areas
Bill Text
relating to election supplies and the conduct of elections; creating criminal offenses; increasing criminal penalties. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 51.005, Election Code, is amended by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (a-1) and (d) to (a) The authority responsible for procuring the election supplies for an election shall provide for each election precinct a number of ballots equal to at least the percentage of voters who voted in that precinct in the most recent corresponding election plus 25 percent of that number. (a-1) The[, except that the] number of ballots provided may not exceed the total number of registered voters in the precinct unless the county participates in the countywide polling place (d) The authority responsible for procuring the election supplies for an election commits an offense if the authority intentionally fails to provide an election precinct with the required number of ballots under this section. An offense under this subsection is a Class A misdemeanor. SECTION 2. Section 51.008, Election Code, is amended by adding Subsection (e) to read as follows: (e) The authority responsible for procuring the election supplies for an election commits an offense if the authority intentionally fails to promptly supplement the distributed ballots upon request by a polling place. An offense under this subsection SECTION 3. Section 51.010(c), Election Code, is amended to (c) An offense under this section is a Class A [C] SECTION 4. Section 51.011(b), Election Code, is amended to (b) An offense under this section is a state jail felony SECTION 5. Section 61.007(b), Election Code, is amended to (b) An offense under this section is a state jail felony SECTION 6. The changes in law made by this Act to Sections 51.010, 51.011, and 61.007, Election Code, apply only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date. SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
Bill Sponsors
Legislators who authored or co-sponsored this bill.
Bill History
Bill filed: AN ACT relating to election supplies and the conduct of elections;
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