HB 2442: bill makes mail-ballot applications cover the runoff too

Caption

relating to an application for an early voting ballot by mail.

Summary

Voters can opt out of the runoff ballot.

The bill makes every mail-ballot application count automatically for both the main election and any runoff that follows. Voters who apply to vote by mail are touched, and they can ask not to get a runoff ballot if they do not want one. Instead of having to check a box or apply again for the runoff, mail voters will be sent a runoff ballot by default starting September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: ZOMBIE BILL. Died 2 times: 88R HB 374 (Died in committee) and this bill (Did not pass). Checked against 88R only.BACK FROM THE DEAD. Same text as a bill filed before that died: 88R HB 374 (Died in committee). Filed in 2 sessions, counting this one. Checked against 88R only.TRY NO. 2. Filed in 2 sessions: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.STALLED AFTER COMMITTEE. Voted out of the House Elections committee 6-3 on Apr 28, 2025. Taken up on the floor on May 13, 2025 and failed on May 15, 2025. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB2442 · 2025-02-05

SOLD BY

Rep. John H. Bucy IIIDHouse 136

ITEM

relating to an application for an early voting ballot by mail.

WHAT IT DOES

Voters can opt out of the runoff ballot.

The bill makes every mail-ballot application count automatically for both the main election and any runoff that follows. Voters who apply to vote by mail are touched, and they can ask not to get a runoff ballot if they do not want one. Instead of having to check a box or apply again for the runoff, mail voters will be sent a runoff ballot by default starting September 1, 2025.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 23, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

Feb 5, 2025Filed
Mar 17, 2025Read first time
Mar 17, 2025Referred to Elections
Apr 24, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Apr 24, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 24, 2025Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
Apr 24, 2025Left pending in committee
Apr 28, 2025Considered in formal meeting
Apr 28, 2025Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
May 5, 2025Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
May 5, 2025Committee report distributed
May 6, 2025Committee report sent to Calendars
May 8, 2025Considered in Calendars
May 10, 2025Placed on General State Calendar
May 13, 2025Read 2nd time
May 13, 2025Postponed 5/14/25 10:49 AM
May 14, 2025Laid out as postponed business
May 14, 2025Passed to engrossment
May 14, 2025Record vote RV#2497
May 14, 2025Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
May 15, 2025Read 3rd time
May 15, 2025Failed to pass
May 15, 2025Record vote RV#2615
May 15, 2025Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

John H. Bucy III

Donors

Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund$56KAdam Loewy$20,000Texas Sands PAC$17K

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 · Oct 28, 2024 to Oct 23, 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.

Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund$56,000.00

Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund

$56,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $31,000.00
Total: $56,000.00

consulting $31,000.00

Also funds 5 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Nov 22, 2024 to Oct 12, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 22, 2024 to Oct 12, 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: 100986907, 101059773, 101069326, 101072293.

Adam Loewy$20,000.00

Texas Sands PAC$17,000.00

Texas Sands PAC

$17,000.00

Cash: $17,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $17,000.00

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 9, 2024 to Sep 29, 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: 100986907, 101032801, 101059773, 101072293.

Money

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

×

Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund

$56,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $31,000.00
Total: $56,000.00

consulting $31,000.00

Also funds 5 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Nov 22, 2024 to Oct 12, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 22, 2024 to Oct 12, 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: 100986907, 101059773, 101069326, 101072293.

×

Texas Sands PAC

$17,000.00

Cash: $17,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $17,000.00

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 9, 2024 to Sep 29, 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: 100986907, 101032801, 101059773, 101072293.

Votes2

House May 15, 2025

Yea: 62
Nay: 77
Present, not voting: 2
Absent: 4
Excused: 5

Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 2615

HB 2442 failed to pass by (Record 2615): 62 Yeas, 77 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

Yea: 62 (published)
Nay: 77 (published)
Present, not voting: 2 (published)
Absent: 4 (derived from named list)
Excused: 5 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

House May 14, 2025

Yea: 78
Nay: 57
Present, not voting: 2
Absent: 7
Excused: 6

Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 2497

HB 2442 was passed to engrossment by (Record 2497): 78 Yeas, 57 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

Yea: 78 (published)
Nay: 57 (published)
Present, not voting: 2 (published)
Absent: 7 (derived from named list)
Excused: 6 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Witnesses51

For: 44
Against: 5
On: 2

Names

For

ACLU of Texas1 registration
Common Cause Texas1 registration
Deeds Not Words1 registration
Disability Rights Texas1 registration
El Paso County1 registration
Self32 registrations
Self; Clean Elections Texas1 registration
Self; Coalition of Texans with Disabilities1 registration
Self; MOVE Texas Civic Fund1 registration
Self; Pure Justice1 registration
Self; The Libertarian Party of TEXAS1 registration
The County and District Clerks’ Association of Texas1 registration
Travis County Commissioners Court1 registration

Against

Self3 registrations
Self; Harris county ballot security1 registration
Self; SREC EI Committee and Secure Texas Elections LP Subcommittee, Self1 registration

On

Secretary of State1 registration
Self; Texas Association of County Election Officials1 registration

Sources

51 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 fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 23, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

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.

FILED BEFORE

Filed 2 times: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.

88R HB 374

by Rep. Bucy, same lead author · Died in committee · same text

Introduced text

Last action, May 9, 2023: Referred to State Affairs

Relating to an application for an early voting ballot by mail.

Caption, 88R bill history

Sources

Texas House · Filed Feb 5, 2025

05/15/2025 H Failed to pass

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.

House committee · Elections · Committee vote 6 aye, 3 nay · Out of committee

Subjects

Elections--Early Voting

Elections--Primaries

Text

The text as introduced · 201 words

89R10257 JDK-D

By: Bucy
H.B. No. 2442

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to an application for an early voting ballot by mail.

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

SECTION 1. Section 84.001, Election Code, is amended by

amending Subsection (e) and adding Subsection (e-1) to read as

follows:

(e) Except as provided by Subsection (e-1), an application

[ An applicant ] for a ballot to be voted by mail serves as an

application both [ may apply ] for a ballot [ ballots ] for the main

election and for any resulting runoff election [ on the same

application ]. If an application [ for the main election and any

resulting runoff ] is not timely for the main election, it will be

considered timely for any resulting runoff if received not later

than the deadline, determined using the date of the runoff

election, for submitting a regular application for a ballot to be

voted by mail.

(e-1) An applicant for a ballot to be voted by mail for the

main election may request not to receive a ballot for a resulting

runoff election.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

Verdict: No flags

The receipt

SOLD BY

ITEM

WHAT IT DOES

CHARGES

TOTAL

HISTORY

Donors

Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund

Texas Sands PAC

Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund

Texas Sands PAC

House May 15, 2025

House May 14, 2025

For

Against

On

88R HB 374