Monitoring the Session

HB 242

bill making it a felony to link voters to ballots

Did not pass

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Ryan GuillenRHouse 31

Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to the creation of the criminal offense of obtaining personally identifiable voter information.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Third-degree felony. Election officials and court orders excepted.

The bill makes it a third-degree felony to obtain, or try to obtain, information that links a voter to how that voter marked their ballot. It reaches anyone who seeks that link, with exceptions for election officials doing their lawful duties and for people acting under a court's order in an election contest. A judge could also stack this sentence on top of sentences for related offenses that come from using the information, starting with conduct on or after September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: STALLED AFTER COMMITTEE. Voted out of the House Elections committee 9-0 on Apr 3, 2025. Never placed on a calendar. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB242 · 2024-11-12

SOLD BY

Rep. Ryan GuillenRHouse 31 Rep. John McQueeneyRHouse 97

+ 3 coauthors

ITEM

relating to the creation of the criminal offense of obtaining personally identifiable voter information.

WHAT IT DOES

Third-degree felony. Election officials and court orders excepted.

The bill makes it a third-degree felony to obtain, or try to obtain, information that links a voter to how that voter marked their ballot. It reaches anyone who seeks that link, with exceptions for election officials doing their lawful duties and for people acting under a court's order in an election contest. A judge could also stack this sentence on top of sentences for related offenses that come from using the information, starting with conduct on or after September 1, 2025.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · April 4, 2025

Creating a new criminal offense may result in an increase in demands upon state and local correctional resources due to a possible increase in the number of individuals placed under supervision in the community or sentenced to a term of confinement. The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined due to a lack of data to estimate the prevalence of conduct outlined in the bill's provisions that would be subject to criminal penalties.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

  1. Filed
  2. Read first time
  3. Referred to Elections
  4. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  5. Considered in public hearing
  6. Committee substitute considered in committee
  7. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
  8. Left pending in committee
  9. Considered in public hearing
  10. Committee substitute considered in committee
  11. Reported favorably as substituted
  12. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  13. Committee report distributed
  14. Committee report sent to Calendars
  15. Considered in Calendars
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Ryan Guillen

Donors

Frontera Texas PAC$160KTexas Sands PAC$121KAssociated Republicans of Texas Campaign Fund$23K

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Jul 1, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Frontera Texas PAC$160,007.97

Frontera Texas PAC

$160,007.97

Cash
$0.00
Paid by others
$160,007.97
Total
$160,007.97
Other filed descriptions $73,500.00mail $40,000.00mailing $19,429.94texting $18,144.37digital $8,211.55printing $722.11

Also funds 3 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Nov 5, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 30, 2025 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101033369, 101062168, 101070155, 101073001.

Texas Sands PAC$120,875.00

Texas Sands PAC

$120,875.00

Cash
$113,500.00
Paid by others
$7,375.00
Total
$120,875.00
polling $7,375.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 14, 2024 to Sep 25, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100989191, 101033369, 101062168, 101073001.

Associated Republicans of Texas Campaign Fund$22,795.90

Associated Republicans of Texas Campaign Fund

$22,795.90

Cash
$0.00
Paid by others
$22,795.90
Total
$22,795.90
polling $15,000.00Other filed descriptions $7,352.14texting $443.76

Also funds 20 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Nov 4, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 15, 2025 to Sep 10, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101033369, 101070155.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

×

Frontera Texas PAC

$160,007.97

Cash
$0.00
Paid by others
$160,007.97
Total
$160,007.97
Other filed descriptions $73,500.00mail $40,000.00mailing $19,429.94texting $18,144.37digital $8,211.55printing $722.11

Also funds 3 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Nov 5, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 30, 2025 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101033369, 101062168, 101070155, 101073001.

×

Texas Sands PAC

$120,875.00

Cash
$113,500.00
Paid by others
$7,375.00
Total
$120,875.00
polling $7,375.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 14, 2024 to Sep 25, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100989191, 101033369, 101062168, 101073001.

×

Associated Republicans of Texas Campaign Fund

$22,795.90

Cash
$0.00
Paid by others
$22,795.90
Total
$22,795.90
polling $15,000.00Other filed descriptions $7,352.14texting $443.76

Also funds 20 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Nov 4, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 15, 2025 to Sep 10, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101033369, 101070155.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Witnesses30
For
13
Against
14
On
3
Names

For

  • Common Cause Texas1 registration
  • Common cause texas1 registration
  • Secure Democracy USA1 registration
  • Secure Elections Project1 registration
  • Self5 registrations
  • Self; Coalition of Texans with Disabilities1 registration
  • Self; County and District Clerks Assoc1 registration
  • Self; State Republican Executive Committee1 registration
  • Self; Texas Association of County Election Officials1 registration

Against

  • ACLU of Texas1 registration
  • Self10 registrations
  • Self; Citizens Defending Freedom1 registration
  • Self; Self, SREC SD10, Texas First Election1 registration
  • True Texas Electionc, LLC1 registration

On

  • Self; Harris county ballot security1 registration
  • Texas Secretary of State2 registrations
Sources

30 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

House witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · April 4, 2025

Creating a new criminal offense may result in an increase in demands upon state and local correctional resources due to a possible increase in the number of individuals placed under supervision in the community or sentenced to a term of confinement. The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined due to a lack of data to estimate the prevalence of conduct outlined in the bill's provisions that would be subject to criminal penalties.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas House · Filed Nov 12, 2024

04/30/2025 H Considered in Calendars

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Coauthors
Janis HoltRHouse 18 Angelia OrrRHouse 13 David SpillerRHouse 68

House committee · Elections · Committee vote 9 aye, 0 nay · Out of committee

Subjects

Crimes--Miscellaneous

Elections--General

Protection of Personal Information

Text

The text as introduced · 410 words

89R2258 TSS-D

By: Guillen
H.B. No. 242

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the creation of the criminal offense of obtaining

personally identifiable voter information.

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

SECTION 1. Chapter 276, Election Code, is amended by adding

Section 276.0051 to read as follows:

Sec. 276.0051. OBTAINING PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE VOTER

INFORMATION. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) or (c), a

person commits an offense if the person obtains or attempts to

obtain any personally identifiable information that connects a

voter to the voter's individual ballot selections in violation of

the voter's right to a secret ballot protected under Section 4,

Article VI, Texas Constitution.

(b) It is an exception to prosecution under this section

that:

(1) the person obtaining or attempting to obtain the

personally identifiable information is an election official

responsible for handling, storing, or making voter information

publicly available in compliance with other law; and

(2) the obtention or attempt occurred during the

lawful discharge of the person's official duty.

(c) It is an exception to prosecution under this section

that the person obtains or attempts to obtain personally

identifiable information that connects a voter to the voter's

individual ballot selections only under the order or authority of a

court or tribunal during an election contest or legal proceeding

related to an election contest.

(d) An offense under this section is a felony of the third

degree.

(e) Notwithstanding Section 3.03(a), Penal Code, a court

may order the sentences of confinement to which a person is

sentenced to run consecutively as described by Article 42.08, Code

of Criminal Procedure, if a person is convicted under this section

and is also found guilty of one or more additional offenses arising

out of:

(1) the same criminal episode; and

(2) the person's use of the information obtained in

violation of this section.

SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act 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 was committed before that

date.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.