bill letting volunteer deputy registrars work statewide

The text as introduced · 463 words

By: Hinojosa
H.B. No. 1216

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the voter registration powers of volunteer deputy

registrars.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 13.032, Election Code, is amended to

read as follows:

Sec. 13.032. PROHIBITION ON REFUSING TO APPOINT. A

registrar may not refuse to appoint as a volunteer deputy

registrar:

(1) a person eligible for appointment under Section

13.031(d); [ or ]

(2) any person on the basis of sex, race, creed, color,

or national origin or ancestry ; or

(3) an otherwise eligible person that distributes

voter registration application forms provided by the secretary of

state under Section 13.002 in accordance with any procedures

prescribed under Section 13.038(b) .

SECTION 2. Section 13.033(b), Election Code, is amended to

read as follows:

(b) If a person is to be appointed, the registrar shall

prepare a certificate of appointment in duplicate containing:

(1) the date of appointment;

(2) the statement: "I, ____________, Voter Registrar

for ____________ County, do hereby appoint ____________ as a

volunteer deputy registrar [ for ____________ County ].";

(3) the person's residence address;

(4) the person's voter registration number, if any;

(5) a statement that the term of the appointment

expires December 31 of an even-numbered year; and

(6) a statement that the appointment terminates on the

person's final conviction for an offense for failure to deliver a

registration application and may terminate on the registrar's

determination that the person failed to adequately review a

registration application, intentionally destroyed or physically

altered a registration application, or engaged in any other

activity that conflicts with the responsibilities of a volunteer

deputy registrar under this chapter.

SECTION 3. Section 13.037(a), Election Code, is amended to

read as follows:

(a) A person may not receive compensation from any [ the ]

county for service as a volunteer deputy registrar unless

compensation is authorized by the commissioners court of that

county .

SECTION 4. Section 13.038, Election Code, is amended to

read as follows:

Sec. 13.038. POWERS GENERALLY. (a) A volunteer deputy

registrar may distribute voter registration application forms

throughout the county in which the deputy was appointed and receive

registration applications submitted to the deputy in person.

(b) A volunteer deputy registrar may serve as a volunteer

deputy registrar throughout this state regardless of the county in

which the deputy was appointed. A volunteer deputy registrar may

distribute a voter registration application in the form prescribed

by the secretary of state under Section 31.002 throughout this

state and receive an application in that form submitted to the

deputy in person, regardless of the county in which the application

was printed. The secretary of state shall prescribe procedures to

implement this subsection.

SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.