Monitoring the Session

HB 3775

bill delays counting mail ballots until polls open

Did not pass

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Dennis PaulRHouse 129

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 processing early voting ballots voted by mail.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

In counties of 100,000 or more, boards wait until in-person early voting ends.

The bill changes when early voting ballot boards may open the inner ballot envelopes of mail ballots and start counting them. Boards may not do so until the polls open on election day, or, in elections run by or with a county of 100,000 or more people, until early voting in person ends. It also requires the board to keep signed chain of custody paperwork for each sealed ballot container, signed by the presiding judge, a board member from the other party, and a poll watcher if one is present.

Labels

Labels: STALLED AFTER COMMITTEE. Voted out of the House Elections committee 7-1 on Apr 14, 2025. Never placed on a calendar. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB3775 · 2025-03-05

SOLD BY

Rep. Dennis PaulRHouse 129

ITEM

relating to processing early voting ballots voted by mail.

WHAT IT DOES

In counties of 100,000 or more, boards wait until in-person early voting ends.

The bill changes when early voting ballot boards may open the inner ballot envelopes of mail ballots and start counting them. Boards may not do so until the polls open on election day, or, in elections run by or with a county of 100,000 or more people, until early voting in person ends. It also requires the board to keep signed chain of custody paperwork for each sealed ballot container, signed by the presiding judge, a board member from the other party, and a poll watcher if one is present.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · April 21, 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

  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 formal meeting
  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
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Dennis Paul

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$25KRichard Weekley$13KRoger Elswick$11,000

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 Aug 27, 2025. 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.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$25,000.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$25,000.00

Cash
$25,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$25,000.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Jun 25, 2025. 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: 101010120.

Richard Weekley$12,500.00

Richard Weekley

$12,500.00

Cash
$12,500.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$12,500.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · on Jun 27, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Jun 27, 2025. 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: 101010120.

Roger Elswick$11,000.00
Money

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

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$25,000.00

Cash
$25,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$25,000.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Jun 25, 2025. 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: 101010120.

×

Richard Weekley

$12,500.00

Cash
$12,500.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$12,500.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · on Jun 27, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Jun 27, 2025. 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: 101010120.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Witnesses16
For
10
Against
4
On
2
Names

For

  • AARP Texas1 registration
  • Self5 registrations
  • Self; Citizens Defending Freedom1 registration
  • Self; Election Integrity Committee and Secure Texas Elections Subcommitte of the State Republican Executive Committee, Self1 registration
  • Self; Harris county ballot security1 registration
  • Self; SREC Committeeman SD31 registration

Against

  • ACLU of Texas1 registration
  • Self2 registrations
  • Texas Civil Rights Project1 registration

On

  • Harris County Commissioners Court1 registration
  • Texas Secretary of State1 registration
Sources

16 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 H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · April 21, 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.

Sources

Texas House · Filed Mar 5, 2025

04/22/2025 H Committee report sent to 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.

House committee · Elections · Committee vote 7 aye, 1 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee

Subjects

Elections--Early Voting

Elections--General

Text

The text as introduced · 364 words

89R13833 AB-D

By: Paul
H.B. No. 3775

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to processing early voting ballots voted by mail.

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

SECTION 1. Section 87.0241(b), Election Code, is amended to

read as follows:

(b) The board may not open a ballot envelope of an accepted

voter or 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 end of the period for early

voting by personal appearance.

SECTION 2. Section 87.042, Election Code, is amended by

amending Subsections (a) and (d) and adding Subsection (e) to read

as follows:

(a) The early voting ballot board shall open each carrier

envelope containing an accepted ballot without defacing the

certificate on the carrier envelope and remove without opening the

ballot envelope from the carrier envelope.

(d) An accepted ballot that was not returned in the official

ballot envelope shall be treated as an accepted ballot that was

returned in the ballot envelope and may be placed in an empty

envelope .

(e) The board shall maintain chain of custody paperwork that

accounts for the correct number of accepted ballots and envelopes

placed into the ballot box or container as required by Subsection

(b) or (c) or Section 87.044(b), as applicable. When the container

is sealed, the paperwork must be signed by:

(1) the presiding judge;

(2) a member of the board who is a member of a

different political party from the presiding judge; and

(3) at least one poll watcher, if present during the

session.

SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to

an election held on or after the effective date of this Act. An

election held before the effective date of this Act is governed by

the law in effect when the election was held, and that law is

continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.