Texas House · Filed Nov 12, 2024
06/20/2025 E Effective on 9/1/25
Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report · Engrossed · Senate Committee Report · Enrolled
Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.
Sponsors
Cosponsors
House committee · Elections · Committee vote 7 aye, 2 nay · Out of committee
Senate committee · State Affairs · Committee vote 7 aye, 1 nay, 3 absent · Out of committee
Subjects
Elections--Election Officers
Elections--General
Text
The text as introduced · 309 words
89R3245 JDK-F
By: Shaheen
H.B. No. 493
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to ineligibility to serve as a poll watcher.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 33.006(b), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(b) A certificate of appointment must:
(1) be in writing and signed by the appointing
authority or, for an appointment for a write-in candidate under
Section 33.004, by each of the voters making the appointment;
(2) indicate the capacity in which the appointing
authority is acting;
(3) state the name, residence address, and voter
registration number of the appointee and be signed by the
appointee;
(4) identify the election and the precinct polling
place or other location at which the appointee is to serve;
(5) in an election on a measure, identify the measure
if more than one is to be voted on and state which side of the
measure the appointee represents; and
(6) contain an affidavit executed by the appointee
stating that the appointee :
(A) will not have possession of a device capable
of recording images or sound or that the appointee will disable or
deactivate the device while serving as a watcher ; and
(B) has not been finally convicted of a felony of
the first or second degree or an offense in connection with conduct
directly attributable to an election .
SECTION 2. Section 33.035, Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 33.035. INELIGIBILITY OF PERSON CONVICTED OF CERTAIN
OFFENSES [ ELECTION OFFENSE ]. A person is ineligible to serve as a
watcher in an election if the person has been finally convicted of :
(1) a felony of the first or second degree; or
(2) an offense in connection with conduct directly
attributable to an election.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
Monitoring 
