bill letting 17-year-olds vote in primaries

The text as introduced · 590 words

89R335 MLH-F

By: Zaffirini
S.B. No. 68

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to allowing a person who will be 18 years of age on the date

of the general election for state and county officers to vote in the

preceding primary elections.

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

SECTION 1. Section 13.001, Election Code, is amended by

amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsections (d) and (e)

to read as follows:

(a) To be eligible for registration as a voter in this

state, a person must:

(1) except as provided by Subsection (d), be 18 years

of age or older;

(2) be a United States citizen;

(3) not have been determined by a final judgment of a

court exercising probate jurisdiction to be:

(A) totally mentally incapacitated; or

(B) partially mentally incapacitated without the

right to vote;

(4) not have been finally convicted of a felony or, if

so convicted, must have:

(A) fully discharged the person's sentence,

including any term of incarceration, parole, or supervision, or

completed a period of probation ordered by any court; or

(B) been pardoned or otherwise released from the

resulting disability to vote; and

(5) be a resident of the county in which application

for registration is made.

(b) Except as provided by Subsection (d), to [ To ] be

eligible to apply for registration, a person must, on the date the

registration application is submitted to the registrar, be at least

17 years and 10 months of age and satisfy the requirements of

Subsection (a) except for age.

(d) A person who will be 18 years of age or older on the date

of the next general election for state and county officers is

eligible to register as a voter in this state for the purposes of

voting in the primary election to determine a political party's

nominees for the general election if the person satisfies the

requirements of Subsection (a) except for age. The secretary of

state shall prescribe procedures necessary to implement this

subsection.

(e) The voter registrar may send a written notice to each

person who registers to vote under Subsection (d) stating that the

person is only eligible to vote in a primary election or runoff

primary election and that the person is not eligible to vote in any

other election until the person is 18 years of age. The notice may

list the elections in which the person is not eligible to vote.

SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 172, Election Code, is

amended by adding Section 172.005 to read as follows:

Sec. 172.005. VOTING BY PERSON UNDER AGE 18. (a)

Notwithstanding Section 11.001, a person may vote in a primary

election if the person:

(1) will be 18 years of age or older on the date of the

subsequent general election for state and county officers; and

(2) satisfies the requirements for being a qualified

voter except for age.

(b) The secretary of state, after consulting with the state

chairman of each political party required to make nominations by

primary election, shall prescribe the procedures necessary to

implement this section.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect on the date on which the

constitutional amendment proposed by the 89th Legislature, Regular

Session, 2025, authorizing a person who will be 18 years of age or

older on the date of the general election for state and county

officers to vote in the preceding primary election takes effect. If

that amendment is not approved by the voters, this Act has no

effect.