SB 511: Bettencourt Voter Registration Bill Has A Candidate Exception

Caption

relating to prohibiting an officer or employee of this state or of a political subdivision of this state from distributing certain voter registration application forms.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Officials can’t hand out unrequested voter forms. Candidates can. Elected officials are often candidates.

The bill bars state and local government officers and employees from handing out voter registration forms to people who did not ask for one. It also bars them from spending public money to help anyone else hand out unrequested forms. Political parties and candidates may still hand out unrequested forms, volunteer deputy registrar rules are left alone, and the change starts September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: GOT HALFWAY. Passed the Senate on May 20, 2025. Died in the House: never got out of the Elections committee.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB511 · 2024-11-25

SOLD BY

Sen. Paul BettencourtRSenate 7

Sen. Mayes MiddletonRSenate 11

Sen. Tan ParkerRSenate 12

+ 1 more author, 2 coauthors

ITEM

relating to prohibiting an officer or employee of this state or of a political subdivision of this state from distributing certain voter registration application forms.

WHAT IT DOES

Officials can’t hand out unrequested voter forms. Candidates can. Elected officials are often candidates.

The bill bars state and local government officers and employees from handing out voter registration forms to people who did not ask for one. It also bars them from spending public money to help anyone else hand out unrequested forms. Political parties and candidates may still hand out unrequested forms, volunteer deputy registrar rules are left alone, and the change starts September 1, 2025.

CHARGES

[x] THE HOLEanalysis confidence 40%

THE TEXT

“A political party or a candidate for office may distribute a form described by Subsection (a) to a person who did not request it.”

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The ban targets government officers and employees. Elected officers are often also candidates for office, so this exception may let a sitting official who is running for office keep sending out unrequested forms.

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version S · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version S · April 4, 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

Nov 25, 2024Received by the Secretary of the Senate
Nov 25, 2024Filed
Feb 3, 2025Read first time
Feb 3, 2025Referred to State Affairs
Feb 5, 2025Co-author authorized
Mar 13, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Mar 13, 2025Considered in public hearing
Mar 13, 2025Testimony taken in committee
Mar 13, 2025Left pending in committee
Apr 3, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 3, 2025Vote taken in committee
Apr 7, 2025Reported favorably as substituted
Apr 7, 2025Committee report printed and distributed
Apr 30, 2025Placed on intent calendar
May 5, 2025Not again placed on intent calendar
May 15, 2025Co-author authorized
May 19, 2025Placed on intent calendar
May 19, 2025Rules suspended-Regular order of business
May 19, 2025Record vote
May 19, 2025Read 2nd time
May 19, 2025Amendment(s) offered FA1 Bettencourt
May 19, 2025Amended
May 19, 2025Vote recorded in Journal
May 19, 2025Amendment(s) offered FA2 Gutierrez
May 19, 2025Amended
May 19, 2025Vote recorded in Journal
May 19, 2025Passed to engrossment as amended
May 19, 2025Record vote
May 20, 2025Rules suspended-Regular order of business
May 20, 2025Record vote
May 20, 2025Read 3rd time
May 20, 2025Amendment(s) offered FA1 Bettencourt
May 20, 2025Amended
May 20, 2025Vote recorded in Journal
May 20, 2025Passed as amended
May 20, 2025Record vote
May 20, 2025Reported engrossed
May 21, 2025Received from the Senate
May 23, 2025Read first time
May 23, 2025Referred to Elections

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

Senate · 20 yea · 11 nay

Sources

Senate: Final passage · May 20, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

Smells

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Paul Bettencourt

Donors

Donors report through Friends of Paul Bettencourt.

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 27, 2024 to Jun 30, 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.

Money

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

Votes4

Senate May 20, 2025

Yea: 20
Nay: 11
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0
Excused: 0

Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

CSSB 511 as again amended was finally passed by the following vote: Yeas 20, Nays 11.

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

Yea: 20 (published)
Nay: 11 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

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

Senate May 20, 2025

Yea: 20
Nay: 11
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0
Excused: 0

Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

Senator Bettencourt moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration CSSB 511 at this time on its third reading and final passage: CSSB 511, Relating to prohibiting an officer or employee of this state or of a political subdivision of this state from distributing certain voter registration application forms and to the notice of availability of such forms; creating criminal offenses. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 20, Nays 11.

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

Yea: 20 (published)
Nay: 11 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

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

Senate May 19, 2025

Yea: 20
Nay: 11
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0
Excused: 0

Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

CSSB 511 as amended was passed to engrossment by the following vote: Yeas 20, Nays 11.

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

Yea: 20 (published)
Nay: 11 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

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

Senate May 19, 2025

Yea: 20
Nay: 11
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0
Excused: 0

Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

Senator Bettencourt moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration CSSB 511 at this time on its second reading: CSSB 511, Relating to prohibiting an officer or employee of this state or of a political subdivision of this state from distributing certain voter registration application forms; creating a criminal offense. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 20, Nays 11.

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

Yea: 20 (published)
Nay: 11 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

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

Witnesses17

For: 7
Against: 10
On: 0

Names

For

Self6 registrations
Self; State Republican Executive Committee1 registration

Against

ACLU of Texas1 registration
Common Cause Texas1 registration
Common cause texas1 registration
Every Texan1 registration
Self1 registration
Self; MOVE Texas Civic Fund1 registration
Self; NAKASEC ACTION FUND TEXAS1 registration
Self; Texas Democratic Party1 registration
Texas Civil Rights Project1 registration
The Brennan Center for Justice1 registration

Sources

17 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

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

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

Fiscal

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version S · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version S · April 4, 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 Senate · Filed Nov 25, 2024

05/23/2025 H Referred to Elections: May 23 2025 10:08AM

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · Senate Committee Report · Engrossed

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:19 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Coauthors

Brandon CreightonRSenate 4

Bob HallRSenate 2

House committee · Elections · Final status: Died in committee

Senate committee · State Affairs · Committee vote 8 aye, 0 nay, 3 absent · Out of committee

Companion

HB 1489 by Oliverson (identical)

Subjects

City Government--General

County Government--General

Elections--Early Voting

Elections--Registration & Suffrage

Political Subdivisions

State Employees

State Officers

Text

The text as introduced · 198 words

89R3901 TSS-D

By: Bettencourt, et al.
S.B. No. 511

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to prohibiting an officer or employee of this state or of a

political subdivision of this state from distributing certain voter

registration application forms.

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

SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 13, Election Code, is

amended by adding Section 13.009 to read as follows:

Sec. 13.009. DISTRIBUTION OF APPLICATION. (a) Except as

provided by Subsection (c) or Subchapter B, an officer or employee

of this state or of a political subdivision of this state may not

distribute a form on which a person may apply for registration to a

person who did not request it.

(b) An officer or employee of this state or of a political

subdivision of this state may not use public funds to facilitate the

distribution by another person of a form described by Subsection

(a) to a person who did not request it.

(c) A political party or a candidate for office may

distribute a form described by Subsection (a) to a person who did

not request it.

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

Verdict: Smells

The receipt

SOLD BY

ITEM

WHAT IT DOES

CHARGES

TOTAL

HISTORY

SIGNED FOR BY

Donors

Senate May 20, 2025

Senate May 20, 2025

Senate May 19, 2025

Senate May 19, 2025

For

Against

Companion