Texas could become the 27th state to allow online voter registration, if two bills on the House Elections Committee's schedule for this week, HB
76 and HB
953, receive favorable consideration. These bills propose allowing voters who have an unexpired Texas driver's license or personal identification card to register online and have that application automatically authenticated rather than having to hand print a paper registration application form and wait on local election officials to data-enter the information into their systems and verify it.
Those Texans who do not have a Texas driver's license or personal identification card would still have to mail in the old paper registration form.
Call, email, or write your State House Representative and Senator and say you want them to vote for online voter registration!
Arizona, which was the first state to create a completely online registration system in 2002, now receives more than 70 percent of its applications digitally, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. As of April 2015, a total of 20 states offer online registration, and another six states plus the District of Columbia have passed legislation to create online voter registration systems, but have not yet implemented them.
Various errors can occur during the current voter application process such as clerical discrepancies, applications being lost in the mail, the cost of postage, and problems with inaccurate information. The Texas Association of Counties has noted online voter registration would yield considerable savings associated with the expedited process and not having to hire temporary staff to handle an increased influx of paper registrations near deadlines — often increasing the margin of human error.
The most common voter problem Election Judges across Texas handle every during every election are voters who thought they had registered to voter through the motor-voter process, when they obtained, updated or renewed their driver's license at Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) office, but find they aren't registered because one of the state agencies seemingly mishandled the registration request.
Another bill, HB 675, relating to the use of a mobile phone by a person occupying a voting booth has already been approved by the House Elections Committee and passed by the House. The bill was forwarded on to the Senate and is waiting to be scheduled for Senate consideration.
This bill amends Section 61.014 of the Election Code to allow a person who is marking their ballot at a voting station (booth) to use their mobile phone to access information that was downloaded, recorded, or created on the phone before the person entered the polling place. Use of wireless communication functions of mobile devices would still be prohibited within 100 feet of a voting station under that section of Election Code. This law allows people to use their mobile devices in airplane mode to read stored information, but no web browsers, text messaging, emailing, phone calls, mobile apps connected to the Internet, and so on.
The following bills are on the House Elections Committee's schedule for this week - 27 April 2015:
HB 76 Israel | et al.
Relating to electronic voter registration.
HB 160 Author: Larson
Caption: Relating to the use of appropriated money for certain advertisements, notices, or announcements featuring an elected state officer near an election.
HB 587 Author: Hernandez
Caption: Relating to a voter education program for high school seniors.
HB 953 Author: Alvarado | et al.
Caption: Relating to electronic voter registration.
HB 1448 Author: Sheets
Caption: Relating to the provision of a voter's thumbprint with a mailed ballot.
HB 1659 Author: Miller, Rick
Caption: Relating to an application for a ballot to be voted by mail.
HB 1831 Author: Zedler
Caption: Relating to the authority of the attorney general to investigate election-related offenses.
HB 2127 Author: Klick
Caption: Relating to the eligibility of presidential and vice presidential candidates to be placed on the ballot.
HB 2160 Author: Paul
Caption: Relating to the release of election judges' and clerks' contact information.
HB 2381 Author: Reynolds
Caption: Relating to the appointment and duties of election officers.
HB 2721 Author: Blanco
Caption: Relating to public notice of the time for voting during an early voting period.
HB 2889 Author: Hughes
Caption: Relating to the verification of citizenship of an applicant for voter registration.
HB 2956 Author: Klick
Caption: Relating to the appointment and training of volunteer deputy registrars; creating an offense.
HB 3157 Author: Faircloth
Caption: Relating to notice of cancellation of elections.
HB 4032 Author: Gonzales, Larry
Caption: Relating to erecting certain signs on private property before an election.
HB 4060 Author: Muñoz, Jr.
Caption: Relating to the awarding of attorney's fees in election contest lawsuits.
HB 4072 Author: Muñoz, Jr.
Caption: Relating to the award of attorney's fees in an election contest.
The following bills have passed out of the House Elections Committee:
| HB 464 | Author: Springer | |
| Last Action: | 04/15/2015 H Committee report sent to Calendars | |
| Caption: | Relating to requiring candidates to pay a filing fee or submit a petition in lieu of a filing fee to appear on the ballot for the general election for state and county officers. | |
| HB 484 | Author: Capriglione | et al. | |
| Last Action: | 04/15/2015 H Committee report sent to Calendars | |
| Caption: | Relating to the eligibility of a person to be a candidate for or holder of a public elective office. | |
| HB 487 | Author: Howard | et al. | |
| Last Action: | 04/15/2015 H Committee report sent to Calendars | |
| Caption: | Relating to certain restrictions on contributions and expenditures from political funds by a lobbyist; creating a criminal offense. | |
| HB 675 | Author: Bonnen, Greg | et al. | |
| Last Action: | 04/22/2015 S Received from the House | |
| Caption: | Relating to the use of a mobile phone by a person occupying a voting station. | |
| HB 891 | Author: Klick | et al. | |
| Last Action: | 04/15/2015 H Committee report sent to Calendars | |
| Caption: | Relating to establishing an interstate voter registration crosscheck program. | |
| HB 1026 | Author: Thompson, Ed | |
| Last Action: | 04/15/2015 H Comm. report sent to Local & Consent Calendar | |
| Caption: | Relating to eligibility for appointment as a tabulation supervisor in an election. | |
| HB 1096 | Author: Murphy | |
| Last Action: | 04/15/2015 H Committee report sent to Calendars | |
| Caption: | Relating to the residence address of a person for purposes of a response to a confirmation notice sent by the registrar. | |
| HB 1615 | Author: Fallon | |
| Last Action: | 04/15/2015 H Committee report sent to Calendars | |
| Caption: | Relating to the days and hours early voting is conducted at a temporary branch early voting polling place. | |
| HB 1996 | Author: Miller, Rick | |
| Last Action: | 04/15/2015 H Comm. report sent to Local & Consent Calendar | |
| Caption: | Relating to holding a primary election for a political party in a county without party leadership. | |
| HB 2027 | Author: Bonnen, Greg | et al. | |
| Last Action: | 04/22/2015 H Passed to engrossment as amended | |
| Caption: | Relating to establishing precincts for elections held on a uniform election date by certain political subdivisions. | |
| HB 2050 | Author: Rodriguez, Eddie | |
| Last Action: | 04/22/2015 H Passed to engrossment | |
| Caption: | Relating to voter information provided by a voter registrar to the secretary of state. | |
| HB 2354 | Author: Farney | et al. | |
| Last Action: | 04/15/2015 H Comm. report sent to Local & Consent Calendar | |
| Caption: | Relating to changing the date of the May uniform election. | |
| HB 2366 | Author: Goldman | |
| Last Action: | 04/15/2015 H Committee report sent to Calendars | |
| Caption: | Relating to the notation on the precinct list of registered voters that a voter voted early. | |
Look Up Information About Bills Submitted for the 84th Legislative Session:
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