HB 633
AN ACT relating to the days and hours during which the polls are open for
House Bill
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
relating to the days and hours during which the polls are open for
Bill Text
relating to the days and hours during which the polls are open for early voting by personal appearance. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 12.004(d), Election Code, is amended to (d) The [If early voting by personal appearance is required to be conducted for extended hours under Section 85.005(c) or for weekend hours under Section 85.006(e), the] registrar's office shall remain open for providing voter registration information during the [extended hours or weekend] hours that the main early voting polling place is open for voting. SECTION 2. Sections 85.001(a) and (e), Election Code, are (a) The period for early voting by personal appearance begins on the 17th day before election day and continues through the fourth day before election day, except as otherwise provided by (e) For an election held on the uniform election date in May and any resulting runoff election, the period for early voting by personal appearance begins on the 12th day before election day and continues through the fourth day before election day, except as otherwise provided by this subchapter. SECTION 3. Section 85.006, Election Code, is amended to Sec. 85.006. EXTENDED VOTING [ON SATURDAY OR SUNDAY]. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), the authority ordering an election may order early voting by personal appearance at the main early voting polling place to be conducted: (1) on one or more Saturdays or Sundays during the (2) during an early voting period extended from the fourth day before election day for any number of consecutive days up to and including the day before election day. (b) In an election in which a county clerk is the early voting clerk under Section 83.002, only the early voting clerk may order extended voting [on a Saturday or Sunday]. The clerk must do (c) Except as otherwise provided by this section, the [The] authority ordering extended voting [on a Saturday or Sunday] shall determine the hours during which voting is to be conducted. (d) The authority authorized to order extended early voting [on a Saturday or Sunday] under Subsection (a) or (b) shall order [the] voting on a Saturday or Sunday under the applicable subsection on receipt of a written request submitted by at least 15 registered voters of the territory covered by the election. The request must be submitted in time to enable compliance with Section 85.007. The authority is not required to order the voting on a particular date specified by the request but shall order the voting on at least one Saturday if a Saturday is requested and on at least one Sunday if a Sunday is requested. (e) In a primary election or the general election for state and county officers, the early voting clerk shall order voting by personal appearance at the main early voting polling place to be conducted on the last Saturday of the early voting period for at least 12 consecutive hours, except that voting may not be conducted earlier than 6 a.m. or later than 10 p.m., and on the last Sunday of the early voting period for at least six consecutive hours, except that voting may not be conducted earlier than 9 a.m. or later than 10 p.m. This subsection supersedes any provision of this subchapter to the extent of any conflict. (f) An authority authorized to order extended early voting under Subsection (a) or (b) that orders the voting during an extended early voting period shall order personal appearance voting at the main early voting polling place to be conducted for at least 12 hours on any weekday or Saturday and for at least five hours on any Sunday of the extended early voting period. SECTION 4. Sections 85.007(a) and (b), Election Code, are (a) The election order and the election notice must state: (1) the date that early voting will begin if under Section 85.001(d) the early voting period is to begin later than the (2) the regular dates and hours that voting will be conducted under Section 85.005(b); and (3) the dates and hours that extended voting [on Saturday or Sunday] is ordered to be conducted under Section (b) The early voting clerk shall post notice for each election stating the dates and hours that extended voting [on a Saturday or Sunday] is ordered to be conducted under Section SECTION 5. Section 85.064(d), Election Code, is amended to (d) The authority authorized under Section 85.006 to order extended early voting [on a Saturday or Sunday] may also order, in the manner prescribed by that section, extended early voting to be conducted [on a Saturday or Sunday] at any one or more of the temporary branch polling places. In addition, the early voting clerk shall order such voting in accordance with Section 85.006(e) at each temporary branch polling place established under Section SECTION 6. Section 85.068(a), Election Code, is amended to (a) The early voting clerk shall post notice for each election stating any dates and the hours that extended voting [on Saturday or Sunday] will be conducted under Section 85.064(d), if the early voting clerk is a county clerk or city secretary under SECTION 7. Section 87.0241, Election Code, is amended by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (b-1) to read as (b) The board may not count early voting ballots until: (1) the polls open on election day; or (2) in an election conducted by an authority of a county with a population of 100,000 or more, or conducted jointly with such a county or conducted with such a county through a contract for election services, the time the polls close on the fourth day before election day [end of the period for early voting (b-1) The board may not count early voting ballots voted by personal appearance after the fourth day before election day until the end of the extended early voting period. SECTION 8. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
Bill History
filed
Bill filed: AN ACT relating to the days and hours during which the polls are open for
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